Turning Back
by Ranranami
Summary: Funny thing about those maggots and worms, turns out the Lost Boys were a little bit more clever than the Emersons or the Frogs gave them credit for.
1. They're Gone

Ran - Remember how we told you guys 'No Escape' was going to be dark? Well…

Kage - We're taking this one even further…

Ran - You might say that if you're at all fond of the Frog brothers or Star, and can't bear the idea of something terrible happening to them...then giving this story a pass wouldn't be a bad idea. Just a reminder if the concept is just too unbearable, I HAVE had them featured as main/supporting characters in other stories. So...you know, I guess...just re-read those?

* * *

" _One thing about living in Santa Carla I never could stomach...all the damn vampires."_

As grandpa Emerson closed the fridge door, leaving the rest of them bathed in darkness, Star stared at him in abject fear.

"There...there are more of them?" She whispered, squeezing Laddie close as they slowly approached the Emersons together.

Michael remained silent, letting Sam fall to the ground beside him and glancing over at Lucy with more than a little anxiety. He had a lot to tell her...not the least of which that they were all back to normal. Of that, he was certain. The insane hunger gnawing at his stomach, and the surge of inhuman strength he'd felt when fighting David and Max had abandoned him. He was human. Despite the fact that there might be many more bloodsuckers hiding around Santa Carla, at least _they_ were free.

Or so they thought. Until they began to explore the house before retiring to bed that night. The kitchen and bathroom were torn to hell, sure, and Michael's bed...or what used to be a bed...was permanently out of commission. But there was no skeleton in the bath tub, nor any blackened body parts surrounding the stereo, despite the fact that the speakers had been miserably destroyed by Sam's sharpshooting. Worst of all, there was no David on the antlers. Only streaks of blood staining it like varnish.

"Maybe they turned to dust?" Sam suggested, glancing over at the Frog brothers as he approached the stereo.

"Ashes, maybe," Edgar grunted, crossing his arms. "Get a good gust of wind blowing in here, I don't see why they couldn't have gotten blown away. AC is pretty high…"

Star and Michael didn't say anything. Of course, Michael didn't know the extent of what David could do, but Star knew well enough his illusions could go far beyond just maggots and earthworms...But he was human again, that had to mean they were all dead, even if they couldn't find the bodies, they were gone.

* * *

David wasn't sure when exactly it had all gone wrong and honestly, he wasn't in any condition to think about it either. He growled softly, coughing, antlers through the chest were not at the top of his list of things to try again. _Nothing_ had gone according to plan. He couldn't believe the others had been forced to resort to half-illusions in order to save themselves. At least they had all survived but they would need to feed, soon. Pulling himself off the antlers while making sure they didn't see him was probably the most difficult thing he had ever done.

Paul was covered in grisly burns, and Dwayne had an oozing wound in his chest, coupled with badly-scorched skin puckered around it, and hair hanging out in clumps. None of them would be luring any kills with their winning smiles tonight, that was for sure. Marko had it easy...they'd left him back at the cave to rest before they'd planned on bringing home a victory dinner tonight. Now they would have to struggle to bring back a meal for Marko and one for himself.

He snarled softly, or...he could just let himself loose and take out the first human he saw. It would certainly be easier and his body wasn't going to leave him much choice in a minute. They were far enough away from the Emerson house that they could hunt without arousing suspicion and they weren't close enough to the boardwalk to reveal themselves. Yes, they had to hunt _now._ It only took one scent to send him over the edge, a single heartbeat, and he descended upon his hapless victim, driving his fangs into his throat as he screamed. Dwayne and Paul quickly split up to pursue their own, delighting in the cries of their prey as they feasted.

Where had it all gone wrong? Was it Michael's family? Was it _Star_? Her and Laddie's resistance had been what changed his mind on using Max's blood to turn Michael. If they could resist, well, he needed more power over the next one and he didn't get that with the elder vampire's blood. But Michael had still fought. Been even more difficult than Star and the brat. Maybe he had gone too easy on him, maybe it was going to take a little more force to make Michael fall in line. After the antlers he was more than happy to do it. Michael was _his_ and he would be one of them even if he had to pour the blood down his throat himself. For now, he'd had to draw back, let his blood go dormant in the boy's veins, but it was still there. Pumping through his system. Quietly continuing to consume every cell in his body and when it was done the only thing that would be left in its wake was the vampire.

In time, the _right_ time, David would go back. He'd deal with his wayward childe. Even if Michael somehow managed to 'kill' David again, he'd die too. But really, what were the chances? He wouldn't have the will to do it anymore. He'd be pack, even before his kill. All that was left, then, was to deal with Star and he had the perfect fate in mind for the little bitch. Now they just had to get Marko a meal and finish healing up, then he could put his plan into action.

David's grin as he took to the sky with Paul and Dwayne was predatory.

* * *

A week had passed since that night. The only person who seemed remotely unphased was grandpa, while the rest of them spent most of their time looking over their shoulders when the sun went down. Which was why Star had made a choice the day they'd found Laddie's home address.

Michael closed the car door on Laddie, turning back to face Star with a half-smile. He wasn't really sure if he'd ever be able to grin again without a little tinge of sadness, after what they'd been through. The deaths of the people he'd seen, the need to tear into them at the same time he was stricken with horror...it left a behind pretty bad scar, even if he was back to normal again. In Star, and even in Laddie, he could see the same sadness.

"Are you sure you want to go right now? You could stay another day. Or a week…" He suggested lamely, drawing his hands to her shoulders and stroking them softly with his thumbs. Lucy was waiting in the car, ready to drive them to Laddie's house, and then drop Star off at the bus station.

She smiled at him, gently running her fingers along his, "I need to, I have to get back home. I'll come back and see you though, it's just something I need to do."

"We haven't even known each other a week, and I'm already afraid you'll never come back," Michael replied, mentally flinching at just how corny that had sounded. _Really_ corny. _Danielle Steele_ corny. "You know what I mean," he looked upwards, "just call me if you change your mind, huh? I'll be around."

She stood on her tip toes, kissing him softly, "I'll call you when I get there."

He sighed as she pulled away to climb into the car, yanking the side of her spangled skirt up over her lap so it wouldn't be caught in the door as she slammed it shut. Long after they were gone, he found himself still standing in the driveway.

"Mike! Stop moping! You're being like one of those weird guys in mom's romance books!" Sam shouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Michael turned towards the porch, scowling at his little brother.

"This coming from the guy who cried until he lost his voice when they ran out of Cabbage Patch Kids on Christmas?"

He sputtered, "Y-You, asshole! I did not, you take that back!"

"Mommy, why doesn't Santa love me anymore?" Michael mimicked with a smirk as he strode towards the porch, shaking away his mood over Star off as best he could. Sam had done a lot for him, he didn't deserve to have his brother moping around the house for the rest of the summer for that.

He punched him in the shoulder as he walked past, "Yeah, well, you suck." He said lamely, didn't have a good comeback for that one.

"Make me a sandwich," Michael replied, ruffling his hair before he dodged into the house away from another pathetic punch, snickering.

"Make your own!" He grumbled, storming away from him, "Stupid Michael and his stupid sandwiches." On the bright side, at least he was eating food again.

* * *

"So, I've been thinking we should expand with fliers now, if that old man was right. Maybe even raise our rates, now that we've got some fangs on our belts. What do you think?" Edgar grunted as he lowered the gate to the shop and turned towards his brother.

"People still don't believe us." Alan replied, "We can't up our rates until we actually have a client." He scowled, someone was tapping on his shoulder, "We're closed!" He said without turning around, when they tapped again he spun, "I said…"

"...Oh...shhh…." Edgar dropped his keys.

A pair of gloved hands muffled their screams as they were pulled away into the darkness above. They really should have started closing up shop before sunset.

* * *

"Damn it…" Sam slammed the phone down in frustration and threw himself onto his bed. This sucked. Mom wouldn't let him or Mike leave the house, even in the middle of the afternoon, and now the Frogs weren't even answering their phone?! How else was he supposed to find out what was going on in the world? Also, he wanted a new comic and, well, he had to make sure they ordered it for him.

There was a soft knock on his bedroom door, "Sam?" Mom.

"Yeah, mom?"

She slowly turned the knob and stuck her head inside, "would you like to go to the grocery store with me and dad? We're thinking about picking up something nice for dinner tonight."

"Can we stop at the comic shop too?" He gave her his best puppy eyes, "Please?" He said, hopping off his bed.

She looked pensive, pushing the door open a little further, "Sam, I don't think being around those boys right now is a very good idea. Not that I'm not grateful for what they did to help you and Michael, but I think the less contact we have with people who...do that kind of thing...the safer we'll be," she sighed. "Plus, it's getting late. I'll take you to a comic shop in Luna Bay when I find a new job, though. How does that sound?"

He shook his head, "Please mom, no more vampire stuff, there's just a new comic I _need_."

She placed her hands on her hips, "I said _no_ , Sam. If you don't want to go with us, that's fine, but I'm not taking you to that comic shop."

He frowned, bottom lip quivering, "Fine, go away then." He flopped back on his bed, "I'm just a little worried, no one is answering the phone." He mumbled.

"It happens all the time, honey. Until everyone owns a twenty pound phone they carry around on a belt, people aren't going to be attached to them all day waiting for phone calls from their friends." Lucy sighed as she turned and left. This whole ordeal had aged her a little. She was a little less patient when it came to little demands and pleas.

"And if I can't get ahold of them tomorrow?" He asked, "Can I check on them at least?" Maybe Michael would take him and she wouldn't have to know.

Lucy paused in the hallway, "I'll think about it."

"Thanks." He curled up around his pillow, looking out the window. The night seemed darker than usual and honestly, it scared him. It wasn't even 6 yet. Nanook slowly padded into the room, leaping up onto his bed with a whine and clumsily lumbering over him, digging his paws into Sam's side in the process as he tried to make a comfortable spot for himself. He smiled, cuddling up close to his dog, "Yeah, thanks buddy." He rubbed through his fur, at least Nanook cared. He didn't know how long he'd nodded off, when a loud crash downstairs made him jerk awake.

He ran downstairs as fast as he could, taking the steps two at a time, "Mom? Michael?" His eyes darted around, trying to find what made the noise, "Hey! Show yourself!" There was a sudden rattling noise coming from the direction of the kitchen. Nanook drew up behind Sam, ducking his head low and huffing.

He peered inside, eyes going wide when he spotted Michael going for the door, "Mike!" He ran over to him, grabbing his arm and pulling, "Hey, come on, mom said no going outside, remember?" It went left unsaid that if he couldn't go out then Mike couldn't either. But then realization dawned on him...he recognized that glazed look in Mike's eyes. It was going to take a hell of a lot to wake him up, too…So he did the only thing he could think of doing.

Grabbing a skillet and one of the big wooden spoons he got right up next to him, holding the pan close to his ear, and hit it as hard as he could. Michael suddenly shook his head, glancing down at Sam with a half-awake expression of bewilderment, and slight irritation when he immediately shoved him away as he drew up a hand to cover his ear.

"Huh? What'd…" It seemed to take a few moments for him to become aware of his surroundings. He looked up, rubbing at his face, "oh man...haven't done this since I was six…did I try to eat the phone or something?"

"You tried to go outside! What're you, crazy?"

"...Did I?" Michael turned back towards the door and then faced Sam again, lowering his hand. "Damn...dreamt I was trying to get _in._ "

"What were you dreaming about, Mike?" He asked, looking up at him.

"It's dumb," Michael scowled, rubbing the back of his head as he stalked towards the fridge, yanking it open to pull out the milk carton to take a gulp out of it.

"It's important, come on, tell me."

"You really wanna know?" Michael lowered the carton, wiping at his mouth with his arm and resealing it.

He rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to."

He shrugged, shoving the milk back in the fridge and closing the door. "Dreamt they were coming back for me."

* * *

Lucy drummed her hands on the steering wheel as she drove home with her father in the passenger seat. They hadn't talked much about anything but what to buy. Now that they'd taken care of the groceries, there wasn't much else to talk about...except, of course, for the elephant in the car. As much as she enjoyed listening to Barry Manilow, she realized she'd have to turn down the radio so she could talk.

"Dad," Lucy cleared her throat, "I've got a few questions…"

He glanced over at her, "What about?"

"Those...things…" She could bring herself to say the word. As if it could somehow make them that much more real than they already were, "who came to the house."

He looked back out the windshield, "Vampires." He stated, "What about them?" He seemed to be reduced to short sentences, as if he didn't really want to talk about it but understood why she wanted to know.

"Well," she continued to stare ahead at the road, focusing on the lights cutting through the inky black road, "I've seen the old Dracula movie. I even saw the Frank Langella one with Jack when it came out...so I guess I know a few things. Sunlight, staking them through the heart, that sort of thing...but I'm really not sure what's true or not. I'm not even sure where to begin. But if there's more out there, I really need you to tell me. Tell me everything you know."

"They ain't like us. They're vicious, animalistic, they're run by what they want, and once they've set their eyes on something they're not too keen on letting it go. Possessive bastards."

She flinched, absent-mindedly rubbing at her throat, "yes...I'd gathered that last part."

"They're manipulators, can mess with a person's mind, make them see things, feel things that they wouldn't normally. They're pure evil, Lucy, don't ever forget that. They may look like us, talk like us, but there is no mercy."

Lucy bit back a shiver, trying to swallow past the growing lump in her throat as she worked up the nerves to ask her next question, because she needed to hear him say it, even if they were safe from the possibility now, "what if...what if one of us became one of them? Would they be able to listen, to care anymore...for their family?"

He shook his head, "No, they don't feel things like we do, they might remember what it felt like to be human but they wouldn't care. They become a creature of instinct, kill or be killed, pack is the only safe thing for them. Think of them like wolves."

Lucy shook her head, "I just can't believe something like that, dad. I would _never_ stop loving my boys. If I did, I wouldn't be _me_ anymore." She paused, then gave a weak laugh, "I guess it doesn't matter anymore, does it? That's not going to happen to any of us."

He nodded in agreement, not saying what he was thinking, about how she might just turn them herself if she was a vampire.

* * *

David watched in delight as Michael licked the blood from his lips. One slow step forward and he was within range, "My blood is in your veins." He grinned, slashing his wrist open, holding his tainted blood within reach of the halfling, "You can't fight it forever, Michael." The smell of blood filled the room, power, "You can have it all." Blood dripped to the floor, the sound seemingly louder than it really was, "Everything you ever wanted." He brought his wrist up to his lips, running his tongue over it slowly, "All you have to do is feed."

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub..._

Michael could hear the sound of his own heart racing, picking up speed, threatening to break through his rib cage and tear itself free.

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub..._

The right thing to do was to fight David off. To protect his family. Somehow Michael knew he must have done it before. Must have gone through this. But things were changing...re-arranging themselves around him. David wasn't up in the rafters, and he should be. They weren't fighting in the air, and somehow he thought they had been. The world seemed to be fluid, shifting as he tried to gain focus on his surroundings. A fact he longed to be real seemed immaterial the longer he tried to hold onto it. Then his greater fears took center stage, as the scent of David's blood called out to him. God, it was like a river...he was too weak to fight the current forever. Sooner or later he was going to break, and saving his brother, or his mom...even Star or Laddie...became less and less important.

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub..._

"No," Michael bit back at him, even as his hands came up of their own volition to try and grab at David's wrist to pull it closer. It was autonomous. His body was rebelling against him.

David chuckled softly, "Your mouth says no, but your body says yes." He purred, bringing his wrist closer, letting him grab it, "Drink."

"Screw you, asshole," Michael whispered through clenched teeth as he finally snapped, digging his teeth into David's wrist, practically shredding the pale flesh in an effort to get as much as he could. In the face of _this,_ his fears and anger seemed to fade into a background noise.

He was laughing, David was laughing at him as he drank, swallowing it down in thick draughts, "You know what would taste even better?" He questioned, leaning close, "This." Suddenly Sam was there, held in front of him, "Finish it." David ordered firmly.

Michael gazed up at them both, his will to fight finally gone as he leapt towards his brother with a bestial snarl. Sam's skin tore like strips of roasted chicken under his teeth, thin and delicate. A barrier from what he desperately needed, as he buried his face into the human's neck. Words like 'guilt' and 'love', they were just memories, things he couldn't even comprehend anymore. David had won.

He clawed his way out of his dream, sweating and panting when he finally rose back to reality. In his bed. It was morning. "Oh...god…" He put his face in his hands, gasping. That was almost too real to be a nightmare. The worst thing about it, other than the idea of slaughtering his little brother, though? He'd enjoyed it way too much. He could still taste it on his tongue, the metallic tang of blood. Like it or not, Michael was ready to admit one thing to himself he'd vow to carry to his grave: he was lost. Maybe not in the way David and those monsters had been, but there was no denying now that he'd been irrevocably broken.


	2. Leaving the House

School was starting in a week. Still no word from the Frog brothers. Come to think of it, Mike hadn't even gotten any phone calls from his girlfriend yet, either. But mom had at least started getting interviews, which meant she was out of the house half the time. As far as grandpa was concerned, the old man was still only vaguely aware they were even there as long as they didn't break any house rules. Which meant he could finally get Michael to take him to check on the Frog brothers.

Mike was in the kitchen making one of his patented gross-ass protein shakes when Sam went to plead his case, "So, Mike, I was thinking that maybe you could take me into town, I gotta check on the Frogs. Haven't heard from them in days and, well, I'm worried."

"Yeah?" Michael asked, disinterested as he plopped two raw eggs into the blender. "Tried calling them?"

"Every day, a couple times a day, so will you help me out?"

"You think maybe they just don't wanna talk?" Next came a spoonful of peanut butter.

He rolled his eyes, "What's it gonna hurt to check? Come on, please, they helped save you from becoming a vamp."

Michael sighed, digging through the fridge and pulling out a few more ingredients. Milk. A banana. An avocado. A...Sam nearly turned green when he saw his brother snatch up a package of raw liver and eyeball it.

"How can you drink that shit?"

He glanced over at Sam and shrugged as he dropped everything into the blender. Even the liver. "I'm gonna have to swing by the market and grab some more meat later. I think mom was planning to use this for dinner…" When he began to pulse the concoction into a drinkable slop, Sam was on the verge of gagging. Little droplets of congealed blood dripped over the lid. "Doesn't taste great, but it's good for muscle," Michael told him, as if that explained why he'd decided to guzzle a raw meat milkshake today for lunch. He _never_ put meat in it. Everything else but the kitchen sink...but...ugh, there were still little clotted chunks dripping out of it when Michael poured it into a glass.

Sam gagged, "Alright, fine, but you're checking the store, the house, wherever I wanna go if I have to watch you drink that."

Michael rolled his eyes at him, lifting the glass to his lips and chugging it down. He finished it in record time, wiping the last bits from around his mouth and licking it up. "You could've just looked away, dork."

He scowled, "I think that's the first time I've seen you use raw meat in it."

"I was trying something new," Michael replied, rinsing the glass out in the sink. "Alright, come on. But we're making this fast. I don't have a bunch of cash to burn right now for a little joyride, okay?"

"I'll give you my comic book money, let's just go."

"Oh, you mean dad's 'don't hate me' stipend he sent you last weekend?"

"Yeah, that." He rolled his eyes, heading outside, "Comic shop first, then their house if we have to."

"And after that?" Michael snorted as he snatched his keys from the kitchen counter and followed Sam outside. It was a little chilly today, but he wasn't about to grab that jacket. Actually, maybe he'd just hock it while he dropped Sam off at the shop for a couple of minutes. Too many bad memories. Just like the earring he'd tossed in the garbage.

"We'll see what happens after that."

"Hold on…" Michael went back inside the house to get his jacket, slinging it over his shoulder before he came back outside. "Okay, let's go."

Sam got on behind him, at least Mike could see reason, unlike mom.

"Hold my jacket for me," Michael instructed him before he started his engine.

"Why don't you just put it on?"

"Just do it."

He rolled his eyes and took it from him, "Fine, weirdo."

"Alright, hold on."

They couldn't get to the boardwalk fast enough for Sam. He was worried about the brothers, really worried, but this should help. He would go there, they'd be fine, maybe their phone was broken. He wouldn't be this paranoid if they could've just...seen the dust after they offed those bloodsuckers. And why would they have all just gone 'poof' after only a few minutes? It just wasn't setting right with him.

The moment they pulled up outside he was off the bike, scowling at closed shutters, "The fuck?" Why would they be closed? He looked back at Mike, "We gotta go to their house."

Michael stared at him hard, "Sam. It's over. Why are you freaking out? Maybe they're just closed today, huh?" He didn't even sound like _he_ was convinced about what he was saying.

"Because we didn't see their bodies, there was no ash, nothing. Just, let's go, okay?" He sighed, why couldn't he get it? It was like he was trying to pretend nothing had even happened. Sam felt like he was talking to a brick wall.

"Fine," Michael sighed, holding out his hand for his jacket, "I'm getting cold. Hand it over and we'll get going. Gonna need some directions. You know where they live, right?"

He nodded, handing the coat over, "Yeah." He got back on the bike, giving him directions. If they weren't there...well, they'd have to go to the hotel, "Here." He pointed, full of nervous energy. The place already looked like something out of a monster movie. But knowing grandpa's interior decorating tastes, Sam was able to appreciate the lake of totem poles and creepy sculptures on the front lawn.

"Alright," Michael climbed off of his bike. "Go kiss and make up, or whatever, and make it fast. Mom's probably going to be heading home soon, and she'd wring my neck if she found out I took you for this stupid little joyride today."

He hopped off, heading for the door only to visibly deflate when he saw a note pinned to the door.

 _Went on vacation, be back in a few weeks._

That's all it said, a stupid short letter, "Mike…" He walked back to him, "We gotta go to the hotel."

Michael lowered his eyebrows, his expression unreadable for a second before it quickly smoothed over, "why? Having a tea party there, now, Sam? This is getting ridiculous."

"I have to know, okay?! Please!" He was starting to panic.

The silence stretched into a minute before Michael finally gave a curt nod, indicating his bike, "come on."

* * *

He wanted to get this over with. The last place in the world Michael ever wanted to go again, other than the old man's workshop, was that _fucking_ death trap. Yeah, maybe the time before last, he'd gotten lucky with Star, so it wasn't as if he didn't have some lingering fondness for the place. But going there would just make the nightmare he'd had last week that much more real. It would make the fear scratching at the back of his brain, needling him, bugging him, have some kind of substance. Yeah, maybe it wasn't healthy to bottle this up like he was trying to do, but the alternative...obsessing about it, like Sam was...that would only drive him crazy.

He didn't _want_ any more dreams, and frankly...he didn't _want_ to believe Sam was right about this. He went around in circles in his mind, debating about what to do as they rode there, while the wind picked up and whipped at his hair, stinging his eyes. Or maybe it was the sun. He was stubbornly refusing to shield himself from the light, though. No matter how sensitive his eyes had become. Maybe a lingering side effect, maybe something worse, he just wanted to ignore it.

Pulling up just outside, Michael kept an arm over his brother's shoulder to keep Sam from dashing ahead of him, "you going to be okay, Sam?"

He nodded, "I gotta know, if...if they're dead." He didn't want to think of the Frog brothers as dead. He looked down the stairs, "Come with me?" His voice was quiet.

Michael strode ahead of him, holding up a hand to make sure Sam kept his distance, "it's not safe here. Place looks like it could fall apart at any second. Vampires or not, I don't want you getting hurt," he whispered softly, picking his way down the steps. Sun was up. Vampires were long gone. There was no rush, beyond the unholy wrath of mom if they broke their personal curfew.

Sam followed him, there was no way he was staying behind. He followed him exactly, "Not gonna get hurt."

The further they picked their way down the steps, and the closer they got to the cave, the more uneasy Michael became…

 _Lub-dub…_

Oh god…

 _Lub-dub...lub-dub…_

His heart...he could hear it beating. Sam's too...Michael squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun overhead. It felt like it was getting stronger, the closer they got. He drew to a stop, grasping at his chest and kneeling down at the end of the steps. "Shit…" He gasped, taking in a deep breath.

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub…_

"Mike?! You alright?" He took the steps two at a time, coming to a stop beside him, "Hey, man, come on, you're scaring me more than I am."

"It's nothing…" Michael closed his eyes, "I think maybe...maybe I'm having a panic attack." Granted, he had never had one in his life, but he didn't doubt a trauma like what they'd been through couldn't have somehow triggered it. "We should go," he rasped.

Sam glanced into the hotel, "But…" He trailed off with a sigh, "Fine, fine, let's go."

* * *

David stretched slowly as night fell. He had felt Michael show up, had felt him make his way to the entrance of the hotel. If he had just come a little closer, come into the hotel with his little brother, this could have all been over. He was pleased though, that Michael had left. He had an idea that would be a lot of fun and it involved some of their favorite things. Kidnapping, murder, all the good things in the world.

He hummed softly, " _Boys, we had a little visitor while we were sleeping. I think it might be just about time."_ He moved to the entrance, looking out over the water. With those little instigators taken care of, they hadn't even had to worry about moving from their sleeping spot. After all, Michael would _never_ let his little brother come in here alone and coming himself, well, that would bring him to David. Of course Michael didn't want to do that.

Marko stretched his arms below his head and yawned, " _are we taking care of them all tonight, or-...?"_ He was the first one to be injured, and he'd missed the main party. There was no love lost from Marko on the Emersons or the Frogs. He'd been the one to take the first bite, actually.

" _We're gonna wait a couple more days. We'll go get Michael then."_ David replied " _Let him enjoy his last few days of freedom before we come for him."_

No one argued his point. They all wanted this to last. Like cats batting at a half-dead mouse, they wanted to hear the screeching until it died out. Michael was the end game, getting him to feed, to fall, that was what they were going for. It was fun to watch him scamper around while the boys waited for the perfect moment in which to take him out. They wouldn't have to wait too much longer. Michael was already falling, they just had to be there when he hit the ground.

There was nothing as satisfying as corrupting someone like Michael, so very determined to do what was right in the face of the impossible. They had all been there, once, after all. The pesky thing about having a soul was that you never really reached your full potential until it was gone. When all was said and done, he'd thank David. They just had to show him the way things were done, how much fun it could be without a conscience. Humanity was overrated anyway. If Star had a little bit more fire in her, they might have even wanted to keep her too. But...well...David didn't much care for catering to a princess anyway. That's what she'd easily have become, if things had gone according to Max's little arrangement.

" _I'll get the playpen set up tonight,"_ Dwayne remarked dryly as he unlatched his feet from the perch and sailed down to the ground.

" _Alright, let's make sure everything is ready. This is going to be a blast."_ David grinned, " _Sweet dreams, Michael. We'll be seeing you soon."_

* * *

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Lucy exploded, slamming her purse on the table and glaring back and forth at her sons while her father snuck behind her and slipped from the room. "Do you think I don't do things for a reason? That I'm just...that I'm someone you can walk all over, just because I'm not as tough as your father?"

Michael guiltily averted his eyes as he sat at the table with a glass of cranberry juice, "it was Sam's fault, mom…" He'd started the bus, kicked the engine into high gear, put a brick on the accelerator, and dived out before throwing his little brother right in front of it.

Lucy turned her angry gaze on her youngest, "Sam...how _could_ you?"

"But, what? What'd I do?!" He whimpered, looking up at her.

She turned back to the fridge, yanking a package of ice-rock solid liver and dropping it on the table, "I took that out to defrost for a _reason._ Now what do you think we're going to do for dinner tonight, hm? There's no more tuna! Your grandpa ate the last of the cereal!"

Sam looked at Michael, "I didn't do it, he did it! Blended it into his shake!"

Lucy raised her eyebrows in alarm, "you mean to tell me that you went out and bought another package, then? Then you tossed it in the freezer and decided to pretend nothing happened? You _left the house_ when I explicitly told you not to?"

Michael glared at Sam, taking a noisy gulp of his juice and remaining silent. But his eyes pretty much said it all…'you are going to _get_ it when her back is turned.'

"It was fine! I went with him, we went straight to the store and back." He grumbled, at least he could stick up for him.

"I'll make pancakes, mom. We can have breakfast for dinner…" Michael finally suggested, lowering his glass. He cringed. It tasted way too sour.

"Oh, okay. Pancakes. Pancakes will just change the fact that neither of you decided to at least consult with me before you broke my trust. Great. I'm glad we can just solve everything with breakfast food…" Lucy sighed, exasperated as she ran a hand over her head. Then she took a deep breath and stood there for a moment while she tried to think. "I know it seems a little crazy that I want you boys to stay at home right now, but I _asked_ you to. This is a two-way street. I need you to respect my decisions, even if you don't agree with them."

Michael grabbed at his chest, flinching as he felt the overwhelming wave of industrial-strength mom guilt washing over him. "I'm sorry, mom. Sam's sorry too. But I'm sorrier."

"You're going to make pancakes. But you're not stopping there. You're making eggs and bacon, too. I also expect fresh squeezed orange juice," Lucy told them both, her frown finally melting into a slight smile. "Just don't do that again, okay? Don't leave the house without telling me, that's all I ask."

"Alright, promise." Sam smiled back slightly before looking at Michael, "I'll do the OJ."

He gave him a two-fingered salute in response as he slumped at his chair, "sounds good to me. Just don't burn it, huh?" He snarked. Sam could figure out a way to burn anything.

He rolled his eyes, "I won't, promise." He punched his arm, "Asshole." He whispered so mom wouldn't hear.

"Hey, watch your mouth," Michael admonished, standing up and leaning over to ruffle Sam's hair, despite his best efforts to dodge him. When Lucy left, he snatched up his half-empty glass and strode over to the kitchen sink to dump it out, "I think things are going to get better, Sam. We just need to try to put that 'stuff' behind us, huh?" He didn't really believe what he was saying, but maybe some day he would.

He nodded, "I think so too." He didn't really believe it either but he hoped, he hoped it would get better.

"I think I'm gonna go take a nap before we start cooking," Michael yawned. "That trip took a lot out of me. Don't let me forget to hock this stupid jacket tomorrow, huh?" He slipped it off, belatedly realizing he was still wearing it.

Sam scowled, "Alright, don't be too long, okay? You don't want me to burn the house down."

* * *

After dinner, Michael could almost believe what he'd told Sam. It had been nice, just sitting together and chatting. Kind of like the days before they moved to Phoenix, when dad 'worked late nights', so he wasn't around to start a pointless argument. He was pretty sure that nap had screwed up his sleep schedule, though. Getting close to nine, and he wasn't even remotely tired when he went upstairs to take a hot bath. No bubbles. No singing. That was Sam's domain of weird, not his.

The water was so hot, it fogged up the mirror. Even long after he'd drained the tub and gotten dressed in a pair of boxers and a white sleep shirt. When Michael drew his hand towards the doorknob, he couldn't help but glance nervously towards his fogged-up reflection. All of the steam made it look blurry and faded...he couldn't help but shiver at the sight. He could swear he was developing a phobia of mirrors these days. On some level, he was kind of scared to look in one.

He forced himself to turn away, ignoring the nagging feeling that the fog shouldn't be quite that thick...he shouldn't look quite that...blurred...he was going to follow his own advice to Sam, even if it killed him. He'd make himself turn a blind eye to those lingering fears and feelings every step of the way until he really believed there _was_ nothing left to be scared of. Maybe he'd borrow some valium from mom. Just for tonight. Unfortunately, he'd decided to make a habit of it for the next two nights as well.


	3. Trapped

David stood over the sleeping halfling, arms crossed over his chest. Michael was out cold, drugged up which suited their purposes all too well. Marko and Paul were taking their time, packing up a bag just for him while Dwayne got Michael's bike. There weren't going to be any signs they were ever there.

" _You two done yet?"_ He looked at the pair packing, " _I'm getting antsy, ready to do this already."_

" _I think I'm going to keep this,"_ Paul replied, pocketing a small wristwatch. They couldn't help it. Scavenging was just something they did...like magpies, certain things were just irresistible.

" _Got it,"_ Marko held up the duffel bag and slipped the straps over his shoulder. " _Panties, some shirts, couple of jeans...the works. Gonna be a great slumber party."_

David nodded, leaning down and putting his hand over Michael's mouth, "Michael, wake up." He hissed in his ear, "Time for us to get going, have a nice little sleepover planned."

The halfling stirred, shifting on his make-shift mattress, but simply yawned and turned over onto his side, "go away, Sam," he grumbled, covering his head with a pillow.

David made a tsking noise, pulling the pillow off and clapping his hand firmly in place so he couldn't dislodge it, "Sorry, Michael, Sam's not here. Wake up boy, we've got to get started." He hissed in his ear, growling softly.

Michael's eyes snapped open, and he very slowly turned his head to face the blonde above him. "...No!" He gasped, immediately moving to try and leap off of his bed.

He jerked him back into him, holding him against his chest, "Shut up, Michael." He growled, holding him tight to his chest, "We're going home, gonna have a nice sleep over, and if you can't keep your mouth shut, well, I'm gonna have to shut it for you."

Still groggy from the pills, but terrified out of his mind, Michael grunted and struggled in David's grasp. "Let me go! You're _DEAD!_ " He snapped, his mind beginning to finally kick into overgear as he tried to figure out a way out of this.

David shook his head with a sigh, wrapping a hand around his throat and squeezing, "You're one of us Michael, can't you feel it?" He questioned, focusing, drawing out the vampire in him, making him feel it this time. All that hunger that would have built up, all of that pain, dark thoughts safely tucked away, all of it hit him _hard_. It was simply too much for Michael to handle at once, so instead of facing the intense agony of half-death, his body decided in favor of a much simpler option...he passed out. It was _very_ unpleasant. David glanced at the others, picking him up, " _Let's go boys."_

They nodded, grinning at each other. The game had only just begun.

* * *

Sam scowled, Michael hadn't come down this morning and he was beginning to get worried but Michael didn't like people going into his room. One too many middle school pranks had taught him that much. Not that he still didn't do it once in awhile. Like if he was sleeping all day...He looked at the door, eyes narrowing as he debated what he wanted to do.

"Aww, screw it." He pushed the door open quietly, "Mike?" He blinked, his room was empty, "Mike? Not funny, dude." His closet door was open. His window was open. On his bed, there was a note:

 _Went for a ride. Be back soon._

"The fuck man! We made a deal with mom!" He grumbled, grabbing the note, "Fine, I'm gonna go tell her." He stormed downstairs, "Mom!"

Lucy was in the living room, polishing a photograph of grandma on the mantel, "yes?"

He held out the note, "Mike took off."

"What?" She looked at him, incredulous, "what do you mean? Give me that…" she held out her hand to take the note from him and quickly scanned it, setting the photo back on the mantel. "That's...his handwriting has changed a bit…" She frowned and passed the note back to him, "when he gets home, you let me know if I'm out of the house, okay? We're going to have a very _long_ talk tonight."

He nodded, taking the letter back and looking at it, "I will." He scowled down at it, "Love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweety."

* * *

When Michael finally woke up, the pain was just bearable enough to let him think and move, but that was about it. He felt agony in his bones, his muscles, his stomach...it was as if he'd been recovering from a massive injury, and somehow caught a virus in the process. Or like he'd been run over by a truck, and then the bastard backed up for good measure.

He didn't really want to open his eyes, but a part of him hoped that maybe he'd just had a really bad case of the flu, and seeing the boys in his room, forced to confront David...all of it was a fever dream. But judging by the feel of hard stone floor beneath him, he didn't have much faith in the idea. "Damn…" he croaked, rubbing at his neck. His throat was so _dry._

As he slowly sat up, Michael finally managed to open his eyes. Yep. Definitely wasn't a fever dream. He was in a pit, as far as he could tell, when he let his eyes trail upwards, it was a good thirty feet or more up. There was no way he'd be able to climb it. He got to his feet and crossed towards one of the walls of the pit, where there was an opening just large enough to crawl through...and then he noticed a weight on his ankle. Glancing down, he realized it was cuffed to a length of chain. _Someone_ was bound and determined to keep him here. He took a deep breath and leaned against the wall beside the opening, sliding down to the ground with a frustrated huff. How was he going to get out of this? Was he?

"I see you're awake." The voice came from above him, echoing through the cavern. David. He was standing on the edge, looking down at him, "So, let me tell you how this is going to work. See, you're either one of us, or you're food." He stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

Michael narrowed his eyes and stared ahead of him, refusing to look up at the source of that smug little statement, replying quietly "then I'm food."

That earned a laugh from his captor, "Yeah, about that, it's not up to _you_. It's _up to me._ Makes you lucky, really. Do you realize what a lucky bastard you are?"

"Eat me," Michael grumbled, knowing full well David could hear him. He'd fought this and won before. He could do it again. They all should've figured that out by now. Michael crossed his arms over his knees, flinching slightly. God, it felt like his stomach was eating itself from the inside out.

"Yeah, no. We went easy on you last time. It's gonna be a little different. You will feed and you will be pack. When it's all over, you'll thank me." David chuckled, "One of us will be back to see you later, think about where you're at and what's going to happen because it _will_ happen. Maybe we'll even have food for you." He turned and walked away, leaving him with his hunger pains.

Michael lowered his head to his knees. He really hoped Sam wouldn't do something stupid, like try to come back to the hotel again and look around for him. That would probably be the first place he thought he went, Michael realized. And if he couldn't protect him the first time around, he sure as hell wouldn't be able to do it now.

Maybe this was all a dream still. Maybe he'd just gone crazy. Maybe he was drooling in a padded room somewhere, and he'd been stuck living this nightmare over and over again, drooling all over himself while beefy nurses gave him sponge baths. It was pretty sad that whole scenario was his best case situation right now.

He raised his head again, glaring into the dark, "you're going to lose this game, you sons of bitches."

It was an hour before someone came back. Marko this time, "Hey, man, umm…" He hopped down into the pit. He glanced around nervously, "So, yeah, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Leaning back against the wall, Michael lowered his hands from his knees and looked at Marko speculatively, "yeah?"

"Yeah, man, if you become pack, you're gonna pick on me too."

"Pick on you?" He asked flatly. Manners escaped him at the moment.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm the little one." He stepped closer, "So, want my help or not?"

Michael began to pick at his nails, looking away from Marko, "you wanna know something, Marko?"

He cocked his head to the side, "What?"

"I _would_ believe you. Really. The thing is, I remember that night on the beach. You weren't picking up the scraps everyone else left behind. In fact, I'd say you were probably one of the nastiest eaters there. You were killing people, just like the rest of them. I think you're no different. I think you're full of shit." He glanced back up at Marko with a sardonic half-smile, "so I'm not buying it."

He grinned with a shrug, "Had to try." He sat down, "So, want some company? Wanna, talk it out? You do know David's determined. Anything you wanna know?"

"That depends," Michael grumbled, "how much of what you tell me is gonna be a lie?"

"I'll be honest with you. Scouts honor." He laughed, "Seriously though, I'll either be honest or I won't answer."

So he was going to have to take anything Marko said with a whole shaker of salt, Michael decided. He would just stay quiet, ignore him, pretend he was blind, deaf, and dumb if he had to...but...unfortunately, Michael did have questions. They were kind of eating him up almost as badly as the hunger, too. "How are you all alive, huh? I know I saw Dwayne die. And David...I killed him _myself._ "

"Well, David, you missed the heart, kind of necessary. The rest of us, illusions, you guys all sucked at killing us. It hurt, a lot, but we're kind of resilient like that. Couple meals and good as new." He leaned back, watching the brunette.

"The Frog brothers," Michael frowned, "they didn't go on vacation, did they?"

He grinned, "Yeah, no, they became dinner, parents too, offed the whole family."

Looking down at his knees, Michael sighed. He was really hoping Sam's friends hadn't...well, he was hoping that didn't happen to them. Sure, they were kind of annoying, rude dick-heads...but they were just kids. "What are you going to do to my family? Is Max alive, too?"

"Max is very, very dead, as for your family, well, that's up to you... _after_ you feed."

"What makes you think I will, huh? What makes you think I won't try and kill one of you again, first chance I get?" Michael growled, only distantly aware how oddly animal-like he sounded right then.

Marko laughed, "You can try, doesn't mean you'll succeed. Besides, the longer you resist the worse it's gonna get."

"...And what about Star? Or Laddie? You got them locked away somewhere else, too?"

"Nope, no idea where they are either. Don't care about them, they were Max's idea, his halflings. You're David's, hence why you're still half after Max died." Little extra tidbit didn't hurt to give out.

"Last question," Michael sighed. "People have to eat food. Are you just going to let me starve down here if I don't eat someone?"

"Yeah, you're not really people anymore. You don't need human food, it does taste good though, maybe we can bring you some next time we eat."

Michael lowered his eyes, "just so you know, I don't trust you. I don't plan on trusting you. So if you think just answering a few questions and smiling is going to make me want to play nice, you've got another thing coming," he glared back up at Marko, "if I had a knife or a stake right now, I'd use it."

"Yeah, well, you don't, so I guess that's a win for me."

"Dinner time!" David was back and holding something, _someone,_ "Ready to eat, Michael?" He hopped down into the pit, carrying a man over to him, "Brought you something tasty." He tossed the man at him, watching him slide across the floor. Michael gave a strangled cry, scrambling to his feet and stumbling back across the pit as far as the chain around his ankle would let him. The sudden lurching in the pit of his stomach had taken him by surprise, and he wasn't ready to face temptation this soon.

The man was whimpering, scrambling away from all three of them, pressing himself against the wall. Marko smirked up at David, and then turned curious eyes on the scene while he sat down, propping his elbows up on his knees and nestling his chin between his palms.

"Come on Michael, don't draw this out, you're the only one suffering here. Well, he will be soon enough but still, better you eat him than me." David stated, bored as he watched him.

Grasping at his chest, Michael closed his eyes and pressed back against the wall, focusing his entire will on ignoring the sound of the man's thrumming pulse, the scent of...something...he could almost believe it was fear. "Fine," he lied. "But I'm not eating with an audience." With David and Marko around, the guy didn't stand a chance. But maybe...just maybe if he could get them to leave him alone…

"Marko, go up top." He ordered, eyes locked on Michael.

"Aww, man!" He grumbled but flew up to the top.

David followed him, "Eat up, Michael." With that, he was gone.

Michael slowly opened his eyes, focusing them on the man across from him. This was...it was going to be hard, but not impossible. He just had to remind himself the guy was a human _being_ with a family and a life, just like him. He didn't deserve to be some meal…

"What's your name?" He asked lamely, though he doubted the guy was up to conversation right now, judging by his appearance. He'd been roughed up a little. Looked like he had a bit of a limp, too...and Michael realized with a start that his pant leg was soaked with blood. He'd have to keep his distance.

"Rick." He mumbled, looking up at him, "Please, please don't hurt me, I've got a wife, a kid, please, I just want to go home."

Michael looked down at his ankle, "you think I'd be here if I wanted to, right now? We're in the same boat. I'm... _not_ going to hurt you. Just keep your voice low, alright?"

He nodded, "Yeah." He whispered softly.

Michael's eyes landed on the crack in the wall. Big enough to crawl through...maybe…"you think you can crawl with your leg like that?" He asked softly, covering his mouth with his hand. He could feel his gums beginning to ache. The further the guy got from him right now, the better.

He nodded, looking toward the crack, "Let me help you, I might be able to get that cuff off." He started moving toward him.

"No!" He snapped back, holding out his free hand and lowering his head, avoiding looking at him, "stay back…just...you'll be safer."

He scampered back before inching his way toward the hole, "I-I'll get help, just, hang in there, alright?"

"Hurry," Michael rasped, "I don't know how long they'll be gone." He paused, slowly looking towards the man and lowering the hand he'd been covering his mouth with. He was beginning to calm down a little, getting control of himself. "Find Sam and Lucy Emerson...Tell them I'm okay."

He made his way into the crack, disappearing from sight.

Sighing, Michael slid back down to the ground. Okay...maybe the guy would find a way out down there. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do to help him. Buy him some time...if he was lucky, David would get the hint that he pretty much planned to make sure anyone they brought down to him didn't end up as his next meal. He _wasn't_ going to kill. Even if his body ate itself...he wasn't. The scream startled him and in a moment he saw David dragging the man back in through the hole. _No..._

"Oh, Michael, did you really think this was how things were going to go?" David shook his head, "I'm so disappointed." The man was screaming as David tore his throat out, spilling blood everywhere. He more wasted it than drank it. God help him, Michael was just as fascinated with the sight as he was horrified.

"He had a kid…" Michael said weakly, drawing his hand across his mouth and breathing harshly as he tried to block out the scent of the blood and fear, the sound of the poor guy's screams assaulting his ears...

David crouched down in front of him, reaching out and brushing the blood across his lips, "A lot of people have kids. Doesn't make a difference to me." Michael gasped, reaching up to try and wipe the blood away, only to find David catching his wrist. He hissed, reaching out to try and break the monster's grip on him, "You won't turn from one taste, you have to _kill_ to finish this." He growled, keeping a firm grasp on his wrist, his free hand reaching up to grab Michael's hair and force his head back so they could lock eyes, "Taste it." He hissed at him.

His tongue was on the very verge of darting out to lick at the blood, to clean it and savor the tiny bit David had 'given' him...but he summoned up an image of his mom in his mind, and Sam...and then the Frog brothers...and even the poor guy who'd been slaughtered to paint his lips with, and he was able to use his waning strength to maintain control of himself. Instead, he met David head-on with a defiant glare. " _Fuck. You."_

The bleach blonde tugged on his hair sharply, his lips pulled back in a snarl. In one smooth motion, Michael found those bloody fingers forced into his mouth. Despite himself, when that blood touched his tongue...he latched on, licking and nursing on the fingers until he'd managed to clean them, as disgusted as he was with himself. God...it was heaven...it was the second best thing he'd ever tasted...he whimpered and pressed forward, yearning for more.

"Yeah, you want it _now_ , don't you?" He hissed in his ear, "You don't get it now." He pulled back, getting to his feet, "You can keep cleaning it off me if you want though," he grinned, "I won't deny you that."

Michael blinked up with him, eyes fleck with gold, half-mad with just that one taste...he climbed to his feet and grabbed at David's collar, frantically licking up what he could from around the blonde's chin and cheeks. He couldn't help it. _God,_ he wasn't even control of himself right now. He wouldn't be able to handle many more nights like this. David looked so smug, letting him get as much off him as he wanted, this was a win in his book.

When it came to the point that Michael had cleaned off every last drop, and was resorting to sniffing at David's neck and face, a little of himself seemed to be coming back to him. Eyes wide, he stumbled back against the wall in shame and anger.

"I didn't know you had it in you." He chuckled, "You didn't miss a single drop, I'm impressed."

"You…" Michael growled, panting, "that won't happen again." It sounded like a pathetic lie even to his own ears. If he hadn't wanted to kill David before, this little humiliating episode just sealed the deal. "If I kill anyone...it'll be you, _David_."

"Oh, you say that now." He grinned, "Don't worry," he patted his cheek, "I can forgive your ignorance."

"They'll find out I'm here," Michael ground out. "Sam already had a pretty good idea you assholes weren't dead."

"And what's he gonna do? Huh? What's your baby brother going to do?" He pressed, "Besides get himself killed."

Michael looked around the pit, searching for the right words, knowing his threat was fairly empty...but he honestly didn't know what else he could say. "He's smart. He'll come here, and this time he'll probably have some gasoline and matches. You can't kill fire, can you David?" He sneered.

"Rock don't burn, Michael. Besides, he doesn't know where we sleep anymore."

Glaring at David, Michael snarled, "he'll figure out something. At any rate, you're not going to trick me again. I'll never feed. You might as well just bite me."

"You'd like it if I bit you. We'll see what you think in a couple days."

Glaring at him, Michael had nothing left to say. The conversation, as far as he was concerned, was over. David waved before leaving him in the bottom of the pit to await another visit from one of the vampires.


	4. The Kill

" _He's_ _stubborn,"_ Dwayne remarked as he kicked up his legs on the couch, laying them over Paul's lap. They'd just gone on a _very_ satisfying hunt, and had yet to make their nightly visit to their half-brother in his little playpen. It had been about four days now. He was starting to snap, but not quite there yet. None of them had honestly thought he'd last this long.

" _It'll make him breaking all that more enjoyable."_ David said, lighting up his third cigarette of the night. He felt so very relaxed after their hunt, he was going to have to force the issue with Michael soon but at this point he wanted his first kill to be truly memorable. Not for any sort of lesson...really, once Michael made the plunge, he'd stop questioning and fighting. But still, they all deserved for the final act to be a special one. For all their trouble.

" _Our games don't end up in the news too often. That one was pretty nasty,"_ Paul remarked, leaning back and taking a long gulp from his beer. " _We gonna tell Mikey how he died?"_

" _Yeah, we are, hopefully it'll break him a little more."_ He took a long drag, " _I think he'll_ appreciate _all our hard work."_ He chuckled softly.

" _It's worth a laugh, at least,"_ Marko agreed, lounging on the side of the fountain as his meal digested. They'd outdone themselves tonight. Tourist buses were just...the best.

" _We should all be there to break the news to him."_ Dwayne chuckled, " _In fact, maybe we should go now."_

" _Sure, as soon as you get your fat legs off me,"_ Paul retorted, giving Dwayne's ankles a good shove.

Dwayne rolled his eyes but got up, getting to his feet and leading the way towards Michael's little hidey-hole. They all stood along the edge, looking down at him, taking in the sight of their poor half brother.

He was in pretty bad shape. Shaking. Mumbling to himself. Hardly even able to walk very long before he had to stop and take a breather. So, for the most part, he just remained sitting against the wall, trying to still himself, forcing thoughts of his family out of his mind. The first few days, they'd been an anchor for his humanity. But now, thinking of them just brought up gory images...the things he'd do to them if he got the chance. He was very visibly beginning to break. He was, in essence, starving to death. None of them had ever seen someone make it this long. Even Star had only been half-turned for a couple of weeks before Michael, and now he had an extra head up on her.

"So, Michael, we were watching channel 9, and we've got some news for you." Paul grinned.

"You're gonna have a closed casket funeral," Marko called down to him.

"There was a little issue with your bike. I'm afraid you drove yourself head-on into a semi." David stated, "Suicide."

It was honestly hard to tell if he was even comprehending them right now. He was beginning to rock back and forth, picking at his jeans with his claws, whispering to himself.

"Biggest headline in Santa Carla since we shut down that old drive-in," Dwayne sighed.

"Well, what're you thinking about, Michael?" David sat down on the edge, watching him.

Michael reached up to cover his ears, squeezing his eyes shut, "not real. You're not real. None of this is real…" He repeated, over and over.

David rolled his eyes, hopping down and back handing him, "Get ahold of yourself." He watched Michael's head snap to the side with the force of the blow, before slowly turning to look back up at him, angry.

"What the fuck was that for, asshole?!" He snapped, rubbing at his sore cheek, growling. Apparently the blow had worked.

"We were trying to have a conversation and you just kind of checked out on us." He patted his cheek gently, "Had to get your attention somehow." Michael reached up to bat his hand away.

"Leave me alone. Unless you're letting me out, we've got nothing to talk about."

"How about the fact that you're dead?" Marko said, grinning at him.

"What?!" Michael blurted, looking up at them, incredulous. Yeah, he hadn't caught one word.

"You had a head on collision with a semi. You're gonna have to have a closed coffin." Dwayne said, hopping down.

"Whatever they managed to pick up. Bet you're halfway scattered across the county line," Paul added, gliding down beside him with Marko following shortly thereafter.

Michael closed his eyes, "you faked my death...you wrecked my bike…" He didn't even have the energy to sound mad. He was just clarifying the facts. There wasn't much left for them to get a rise out of.

"Your death was ruled a suicide." David said, chuckling softly, "I'm sure we can think of more to do if that isn't enough for you."

"If you wanted to break me, good job. You got your wish," Michael sneered. "Now just kill me and finish this, then we'll be even." He turned his head down, picking at his nails as he pointedly tried to ignore them, as if he could just pretend they weren't there.

David shook his head, petting through his hair, "No, no we're not going to kill you but I guarantee, the next person we bring to you for dinner, you will eat."

"Five people," Michael rasped. "You've brought five people down here. You killed each and every one of them." He looked back up at David, despite his best efforts not to, "why do you think this next one will be any different?"

"Because if you don't do it willingly, I'm gonna make you do it." He grabbed his hair, tugging his head back, "One way or another, the next one we bring is gonna be your first meal." He paused, debated about saying more but refrained, " _He's gonna wish he had fed before when we bring him his next meal."_

" _Yeah, for like five minutes,"_ Marko smirked.

" _Quicker than that,"_ Dwayne shook his head. " _I'm getting tired of this anyway. He looks like shit."_

" _Let's go collect his next meal, we can let him suffer through the night."_ David knew just who was going to be his first meal. The piece had fallen into place almost too easily.

Michael's eyes darted around between them nervously, "you…" he frowned, "were you just talking?"

"Us?" Paul feigned confusion, "nah. You're hearing things." He tapped his head, "bet your brain's starting to eat itself. Gonna wanna feed soon before there's nothing left."

" _Nice, at least he's coming along in some ways."_ Paul grinned, waving at Michael, "See you later, Mikey!"

* * *

Star sat across from Lucy at the kitchen table, both of them remaining silent. They didn't have much to say that several hours of crying hadn't. She couldn't...understand. Everything was supposed to work out, now. Everything was supposed to be better. But the day she came back, that future she'd imagined turned out to be just another dream. Michael had killed himself. She couldn't understand why. Why would he do that? Why would he drive into a semi of all things? The thought of it just made her want to cry again.

Sam wouldn't even leave his room. A part of her thought he blamed her in some way, and she couldn't argue the point. Maybe it was her fault. She'd led him to a half-death, then left him when he was at his worst. But she still...didn't see why Michael would take that step. He'd been a little sad, sure. They all were. But suicidal? That just...it didn't make sense. Maybe something had happened. Maybe he had just fallen asleep and had an accident, that had to be it.

Pushing herself away from the table, Star smiled weakly down at Lucy, "I think I'm going to go for a walk." She didn't belong here. She was just a reminder for them, a trigger. It would probably be best if she just left now before the funeral.

She walked until she hit the beach and kept walking. It took her a good hour or so to get there. She just couldn't stop; it was soothing, listening to the waves, the reason she'd come to Santa Carla in the first place. Before the boys. She could still hear them sometimes at night, the sound of the bikes, the howls of joy as they hunted another person. She stopped, it was getting louder, the howls, like wolves.

"Calm down," she told herself, digging her nails into her forearms as she kept walking. "It's the wind." They were gone. This was exactly why she'd left in the first place, to get away from these phantom sounds. She'd hoped distance, just for a few weeks, would wipe them out of her mind. But apparently it hadn't.

"Hello, Star." She couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips when she felt a hand fall on her shoulder and David's voice in her ear. She felt herself jerked around, spinning in his arms until he was face-to-face with the monster that featured in her nightmares every time she closed her eyes to sleep.

"No!" She gasped out, once her scream had finally died, and she was able to gulp in air as she moved her hands down to try to break his grip on her.

"See, that's not how this is gonna work." He chuckled softly, "I have something very special in mind for you, you're lucky, very lucky, because you get to serve a very special purpose."

She kicked up her feet, shaking her head wildly, "you're dead! YOU DIED! MICHAEL KILLED YOU!" Star shrieked, shoving a hand into his face to try and push his head away, bringing up a slippered foot to kick at his shin.

He growled softly, "You kind of have to hit the heart and well, he failed, but don't worry, we have something special for you. You want to see Michael again, don't you?" He grinned, squeezing her close.

"Wh...wh...what?!" She choked out, cringing as he held her close, face streaked with panicked tears now. In her fear, she realized all four bikes had been drawn around her in a circle. Marko, Dwayne, and Paul perched giddily on their own, faces twisted into those terrible masks she knew so well...

"Michael…" Star whispered, eyes wide as she drew her head back forward to face David, "what did you do to him?!"

"Nothing much, he's just hanging out in a nice pit, still alive, you do want to see him, don't you?"

"He's alive…" She breathed out, wary. Unsure whether it was good news or bad. David was far too happy for it to be good.

"Safe and sound and alive. Ready to see him?" David chuckled, "I can take you to him, just don't struggle, don't want me to drop you, do you?"

So he was planning to kill them together. That was just the sort of sick game David was fond of, from what she recalled. Star knew there was no escaping him now...but one last moment to see Michael...one last chance…

"Someone is going to kill you, some day, David. And they're going to have better aim," She stated calmly, relaxing in his grip. If she was going to die, and Michael was too, at least they wouldn't be alone.

He chuckled softly, "Well, we'll see what happens." He stated, carrying her back home, Michael was hungry and well, he had the perfect meal, "Michael! Dinner's here." He looked down into the pit. Star gave a sharp intake of breath as she peered down with him.

"Oh god...Michael…" She pressed a shaking hand to her lips, biting back a sob. He was staring up at them, practically through them, his face twisted to match the rest of the boys. It didn't even look like there was much of him left, just an empty shell…and realization dawned on her when she felt David gripping her torso tightly. "No!" Star shrieked, her fear rushing forward anew, and she began to struggle again.

"I am curious if he can stop himself, if I'm gonna have to force him or not." He took her down into the pit, drawing it out, "Hungry? I got something for ya."

Michael's head snapped towards them, breath coming out in a low hiss as he advanced closer. "Michael, please... _please_ don't hurt me…" She begged, digging her nails into David's hands at her torso to try to loosen his grip. "You don't want to do this. You're not in your right mind!"

David shoved her toward him, "There's nowhere for you to go, Star." He said, watching as she stumbled into Michael. She fell against him, as his clawed hands immediately draw upwards to wrap around the small of her back.

"Please. _Please."_ Star whispered, tears running down her cheeks, "Michael. I love you. Don't do this." She could feel him nuzzling his face against hers, almost affectionate as he came closer to her neck, before there was a slow pause as he stopped moving. Her eyes grew wide as she braced herself, prayed that it would be quick.

He drew his lips up to her ears, breathing heavily, " _Star. RUN."_ And before she had time to register what was happening, Michael shoved her to the ground and took a running leap at David. She tried to scramble to her feet, but her strength had left her, and all she could do was crawl, knees tangling in her skirt while she frantically edged herself towards an opening in the wall.

All David had to do was take a single step backward for the chain to jerk Michael back as he reached the end of it, "Oh, Michael, this how it's gonna be?"

"FUCK YOU!" Michael shouted, trying to yank at the chain. Star was just barely to the opening, terrified out of her mind, praying to god she'd be able to escape, and bring someone back to save Michael before it was too late.

David rolled his eyes, Dwayne would take care of Star, he just had to take care of Michael. The full vampire lunged forward, growling lowly and tackling the halfling to the ground, "If this is how it's gotta be, then this is how it's gotta be!"

If it had been earlier, or even if Michael had been given animal blood to sustain himself, he might have been able to put up more of a fight. But considering he could barely walk right now, let alone form complete sentences, he simply couldn't throw David off. He could only struggle, and hope Star was able to make it out. She'd managed to weave her way into the opening on the edge of the pit, but he seriously doubted she'd make it as far as he'd hoped. He'd been banking on somehow managing to figure out a way to get David to kill _him_ instead. But that tactic hadn't worked in the week he'd been there...why would it work now?

"Let her go," Michael ground out, slumping back, unable to keep up the physical struggle anymore. He was as weak as a kitten. "Let her go, and I'll kill. Okay?"

David kept him firmly pinned down, "No, I don't think so. She's gonna be your first kill." He stated with a snarl, "There's no getting out of it. _She's_ your first kill."

"No," Michael growled. "She's _not._ Kill me if you have to, but she's not. Even if I go nuts...she's not." He was beginning to get dizzy now from this exertion, and he had to let his head fall back against the ground so he could take in deep gulps of air. He was dying. He knew it. If he held out, maybe even a few more hours...his body wouldn't be able to take this anymore. And he wouldn't kill Star. David wouldn't win.

"Dwayne! Bring her in." He kept Michael firmly pinned to the ground while the brunette vampire pulled Star in by her hair, pushing her to the ground beside them. Without a word, David brought her wrist up, slitting into the skin with a claw, smiling darkly as she cried out, before holding it over his mouth, watching the blood drip down against his lips. Michael twitched beneath him, trying to keep his mouth shut tight, his strength to even do that much finally waning, "Drink." He ordered with a low hiss, forcing the wound to his lips, pressing hard so his lips pulled back enough to allow a trickle of blood past.

That was all it took. Just that taste, and the fight was finally gone. Even if he 'loved' her, even if there was some sort of 'noble purpose' to his battle, Michael just couldn't hold out any longer. He opened his mouth wider to lap at her wrist, even as her eyes widened in terror at the sight.

Star silently wept, "I love you, Michael. I love you." She closed her eyes. "I love you."

Growling deep in his throat, he dug his fangs into her skin, tearing at muscle and tendon, amid Star's shrieks, trying to drink as much as he could, coughing and sputtering. Dwayne let her go the moment Michael latched on, all of the boys gathering around to watch as Michael finally made his first kill.

It wasn't quite as messy as they'd expected it to be. He didn't surge forward to tear out her throat, he simply kept drinking from her wrist, and as the blood slowly left her body, Star managed to pull herself closer to him, fading from consciousness, reaching up to stroke a hand through his hair. He looked past her, unseeing. Too starved now to do much else, too exhausted and drained. When he finally sat up, holding her in his arms, dead...the glassy look in her eyes wasn't one of accusation or fear any longer. It was forgiveness. And he didn't care anymore when he pushed her to the side and let her tumble to the ground.

* * *

It was strange. As he drank from her, slowly regained some semblance of strength, Michael felt like there was a cold numbness spreading out from his chest, washing away the tension in his muscles and his mind. Only a few minutes ago, he'd felt an incredible _need_ to protect Star, to sacrifice himself for her. Now he couldn't even comprehend that feeling. She wasn't pack. She was just food. And now it seemed like there really were only two things someone could be. His world immediately shrank, and expanded in so many different ways.

On some level, he felt like he'd lost something. As the blood suffused him, though, and that cold numbness began to fade, it took that feeling away with it too. He no longer knew fear, nor love, even for Sam, mom, grandpa...all he knew was loyalty, now, to his hunger. And after that, to his pack. His brothers.

Slowly, he looked up at David, then let his eyes trail around the group, as he tried to take everything in. He was a different creature now. The Michael who'd been sitting in this pit only moments before? He couldn't even relate to him anymore.

Taking a deep breath, he licked at his lips and looked back down at the corpse beside him, emotionless, "someone gonna unlock me now?"

* * *

David knew the moment he had won, looking down at Michael, watching as the blood seeped past his lips. He loved it. Loved the way Michael looked as he finally gave in. It wasn't messy, usually first kills were, but it was kind of fitting in a way. It was like a natural progression, everything was falling into place just as it should. Slowly, Michael began to relax and he knew that he was finally learning just what it meant to be pack, to be one of them. The humanity that held him back was gone, now they had their brother.

He almost didn't hear the newly made vampire when he spoke, "Someone gonna unlock me now?"

It shook him out of his thoughts and he slid a hand down his side, feeling the way his muscles tensed beneath his touch before relaxing. Slowly he pulled the key out of his pocket, reaching down and undoing the shackle, " _Welcome to the family."_ David grinned, his smile dark, " _Took way too long."_

" _Alright!"_ Paul gave a loud whoop of joy, " _this calls for a party, huh?"_

Michael remained silent, watching David, then looking up towards the top of the pit, " _and here this place was beginning to feel cozy,"_ he looked almost surprised at how easily conversing in their minds seemed to come to him. It was second nature, after all.

Marko grinned, " _Catches on quick!"_

" _I didn't expect anything less."_ David chuckled softly, " _Still hungry?"_

Michael nodded, grinning in turn for the first time since he'd found out what they were as he climbed to his feet, " _starving."_

" _Awesome, maybe we can find a bus of nuns or something!"_ Paul's smile was infectious.

" _Maybe something less dangerous, huh?"_ Marko cringed and shook his head, " _rulers and crucifixes? No thanks. Paulie, you got your ass scorched as fuck, you out of all of us should be the last one who wants to take a chomp off a holy roller."_

Paul was pouting, " _Fine, let's go see what's on the menu."_

Dwayne nudged Star with his foot, " _gotta get rid of the body first. Did you have any plans?"_ He met David's eyes, not doubting her role had yet to be completed in this little venture.

David grinned, " _Let's leave them a little message."_

* * *

Sam had been lying in bed all day, repeating the last conversation he'd had with Mike over and over in his head, picking it apart, trying to figure out exactly what he could have missed that his brother would have said...what kind of message he was leaving behind. Because he sure as hell didn't leave a note. So far, he hadn't been able to pick out anything at all. His brother had been, for the most part, normal. Except when they went to go into the hotel, he had acted a little off. He needed to find out if Michael really committed suicide because right now, he just couldn't figure it out. He was lost.

Maybe he needed to take a walk, clear his head. Maybe he'd have some kind of epiphany out on the beach. He'd use his bike, that could at least guarantee he got there within about half an hour if he pedaled fast. Mom was in bed now, so he could leave and come back before she even noticed he was gone. There was no sign of Star, either. She'd swung by earlier that day, and he'd decided to stay in his room instead of going out to meet her. Sam didn't want to talk to anyone right now...least of all the girl, who in her own right, had a hand in Michael's death.

He made it to the beach in record time, leaving his bike by the stairs before walking out onto the sand. Why did they even stay here, he wondered? Would they have been better off just packing up and moving again? Not that they could afford it, at least here they had grandpa.

Something was wrong. There was someone else on the beach, not that it was unusual, but they were just laying there, not moving. A girl. Sam steeled himself, digging into his pants pockets and palming a small cross he'd developed the habit of keeping with him just in case those 'other damn vampires' grandpa had mentioned somehow showed up. He couldn't let himself forget Santa Carla was the murder capitol of the world.

"Hey," Sam called out weakly, ducking his head and squinting in the dark, "you alright over there?" The only answering cry came from a flock of seagulls overhead that were flying well past sunset. He moved forward slowly, pulling the cross out, "Umm, lady?" She had dark hair and her clothes, they looked...familiar. He moved a little faster, closing the distance. Slowly he circled around her, swallowing hard when he saw her face, "Star?" He knelt down beside her.

Her eyes were open, glassy, clouded like a market fish. Her right arm was twisted at an odd angle above her head, the skin on the wrist torn up and grisly, open down to the bone...but dry...not a drop of blood left...and in her hand was a strip of red fabric. He recognized it instantly, Edgar's bandana.

As confident as he'd been on the night they'd killed the Lost Boys, there was no holding back the sudden immense pit of fear growing at the bottom of his stomach, or the hopeless whimpers that escaped his mouth...She was dead, the Frogs were dead, and Michael...what if he was next? They were being picked off one by one. This couldn't be happening, the Lost Boys weren't dead, they were the cause of all this, he knew it.

He had to come up with a plan of action, to protect himself, and the rest of his family. The question was...how? How do you fight evil all alone? Because in all honesty, he was alone. He looked at Star, and what was he going to do about her? If mom found out about this, it would probably drive her off the deep end. Sam knew Lucy couldn't handle another tragedy like this so soon, or the implication of what was about to happen. He'd have to protect his mom, first and foremost, at all costs. It's what Mike would have done. Which meant he was going to have to do something about her body. She was close to the water, maybe if he could move her, she would be washed out with the tide. He took Ed's bandana and tied it around his wrist.

For his brother. For the Frogs. For Star. Sam was going to fight...he was going to survive...and he was going to kill them all. No matter what.


	5. Hospital Bed

Midnight, and he could hear his fool of a grandson sneaking upstairs, thinking he didn't have a damn clue about what he'd just been up to, going outside in the dead of night like a damned idiot. He shook his head, looking back at his project. Nothing was quite as soothing as fitting a glass eye into a duck's skull. It was downright therapeutic. Losing Michael had been hard on all of them and he wasn't about to make it more difficult for Lucy by telling her that her youngest was going out to do who knows what.

He sighed again and pushed the duck across the table, lifting up his root beer and holding it out to salute the pile of horns he'd yet to finish sorting through, sitting on the opposite side of his damaged workshop. "Bet you think I shoulda left this place a long time ago, huh?" He grunted, taking a deep gulp. Then he lowered the bottle with a firm 'CLUNK'.

"Right about the time Emma got her neck snapped? Or maybe when Lucy called to say she was bringing the kids over to stay?" He paused. "Well, what the hell do you know? You're just a buncha dead bones."

Maybe it was the Oreos or maybe the root beer, hell, maybe it was the fact that he was just getting too damn old, but suddenly he just didn't feel up to talking to himself anymore. Or to the phantoms of the hundreds of dead animals around him he made his living off of. In fact, he wasn't feeling up to much of anything. He was getting lightheaded.

He didn't make it to his room that night. He ended up collapsing against Lucy's bedroom door. Lucky for him, she wasn't sleeping yet...or the heart attack might have killed him before she could call 911. Luck. He sure didn't feel all that lucky when he woke up in a hospital bed.

Sam was actually sitting beside him, he looked worn out, tired, and it looked like he'd been crying, "Sam."

"Grandpa…" He leaned forward, reaching for the old man's thin arm, laced with tubes, "did they do this to you?!"

He closed his eyes, frowning, "what in the hell are you on about?"

"The...vampires…" Now that he had started talking he couldn't stop, "Grandpa, they killed Star and Ed and Alan. I think they killed Michael too."

"Now hold on just a god damned minute," he rasped, opening his eyes and blinking up at Sam with a grumpy and confused expression, "Sam, ain't nothing supernatural about your brother driving into a semi. Or me having a heart attack. You hear me? You're losing it, boy."

He shook his head, holding out his arm with the bandana, "There's no way Michael killed himself. He wouldn't do that, he just wouldn't. This is...was...Ed's, I found it in Star's hand. Her wrist was shredded, there was no blood."

The old man took a deep breath, weary, exasperated, more than a little overwhelmed given the circumstances. "You listen to me, alright? I just woke up, and I don't need no crying. You want to tell me this story, you wait until I'm well enough to get up off this bed and walk away. I don't need any stories about dead people, mangled corpses, or stinky bandanas. Understand?"

He looked down at his lap, "Yeah, sorry."

"Now," Grandpa Emerson closed his eyes and settled back down, "where's your ma?"

"She went to get coffee." He glanced at the door, "I think she'll be back soon."

"So, here's what you're gonna do, then. You let me sleep. I'm _tired._ Then you let everything else sleep, too."

"But...why? I have to…" He started but was cut off.

"No, let it rest. You follow this, keep going after them, and it'll only end in heartbreak, in pain and suffering. Let. It. Go."

He didn't need to open his eyes to know his words were probably falling on deaf ears. Because, god damn it, the boy was too much like him at his age. 'I'm tired, Sam." He repeated, "I'm tired and I don't want to lose anyone else."

"Grandpa-"

He opened his eyes and looked at him, "Yeah, Sam?"

"You're wrong," Sam said quietly. "I'm not giving up on this."

He sighed, feeling his age, feeling a weight on his chest, "I never took you for a fool, boy, but you are. Now, let me rest." He closed his eyes again, he really was tired. He'd lost too much in his life, too much time. Too many people. It wasn't right to outlive your own grandchildren. He didn't want to outlive both of them.

* * *

David drummed his fingers against his leg, sitting beside the old man's hospital bed and waiting for him to finally wake up. The rest of the pack was scattered around the room, each looking equally as bored with the proceedings as David was. Boy did they ever have a surprise in store. Too bad the geezer was on his way out. He reeked of old age and death. If he was wandering around outside, he'd probably have a flock of vultures following him. Hopefully, he'd be happy settling for them instead.

He stirred shortly before dawn, waking up just in time. David would hate to have had to wait to talk to their old 'friend' another night. But it wasn't polite to wake the half-dead.

Rheumy eyes blinked once, twice, as the old man shifted on his hospital bed, and slowly looked towards David with a bitter frown, not yet noticing the others, "here to give me one last kick while I'm down?" He rasped.

David chuckled down at him, "Finally woke up, took you long enough. We decided to come for a little visit, figured you'd appreciate the company." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"...'we', huh?" He asked with a bitter laugh, before letting his old eyes adjust to the dim light shining in from the hospital hall, casting his gaze about the room. He gave an almost imperceptible intake of breath when he spotted Michael, leaning against the wall, watching him.

"Yeah, _us._ Got the whole crew here, all of us."

"No…" the old man groaned, trying to pull himself up into a sitting position, "not Michael. _NO."_ He was too weak to do much but whisper loudly. It was pretty pathetic, actually.

Michael gave a helpless shrug, looking over at David and feigning distress. But he didn't say anything. David was doing all the talking, now.

He chuckled softly, "Oh, yeah, I want to introduce you. Although you've already met in reality, say hello to Michael. Our newest pack member." He motioned to him, "Come on, say hello."

The younger vampire's expression of distress immediately disappeared, in favor of a dark half-smirk as his grandfather squeezed his eyes shut, drawing his head back with a pained gasp. "You're all alive...but I know your leader's gone. Buried the son of a bitch's ashes myself." He kept his eyes closed, "so...it's _you_ , now."

"Yeah, I'm the big boss, pack leader, Max is long gone and he's gonna stay that way."

"...why? Your fight isn't with my grandkids. Why Michael?" He demanded, finally opening his eyes again and glaring at David. A pale shadow of the stronger man he once was.

"You think this is about you?" He raised an eyebrow, "I don't care about the past, I don't care about what happened while Max was still around. No, this has nothing to do with that. This is all about Michael."

Michael glanced over at David, " _I'm flattered."_

The old man desperately seemed to be trying to cling to hope, staring back at his eldest grandson, pleading with him for some sort of sign...some small piece of him to spark in the boy's eyes. "Keep your hands off the other one. You've got your pack...leave Sam alone."

David smiled at him, "As long as little Sammy stays out of our way, we'll leave him alone, sound good?"

"Should've killed the rest of you when I had the chance," he bit back, taking in a deep breath and forcing himself to pull his eyes away from his former grandson.

"Well, you didn't." He stated, eyes narrowing, "You only got the one because he was weak, stupid and because Max was a complete idiot."

" _Sun's coming up soon,"_ Dwayne looked over at a clock on the wall, then back at David, and then to the old man. There was no good will lost on him. Letting him die like this was almost poetic. Fitting.

"Michael," the old man called out to his grandson. "If there's anything left in there, I just want you to know I'm sorry. Sorry I didn't make sure your ma never came back here." He closed his eyes again, laying his head back on his pillow, even older than he'd been when the boys came in to pay their respects.

The younger vampire cocked his head, watching the scene unfold with a curious expression, before squinting back at David, " _this isn't just about Max, is it?"_

He shook his head, " _No, I could care less about Max and what he wanted."_ He looked down at the old man, patting his cheek, "Sorry that we can't stay longer but the sun'll be coming up soon, kind of have to be getting back, I'm sure you understand." He paused briefly, "Keep the little one away from us if you want him to stay amongst the living, get it?" He looked at the boys, " _Let's go."_

"God damn you. God _damn you!"_ The old man called weakly after them as they filed out of the room, the last one to the door hanging behind to give him one last slow smile. "See ya around, grandpa." Michael winked at him, and strode after David.


	6. Sand Gets Everywhere

It was December, months since their visit to the hospital. The old man had gotten out, but he'd never be up for stuffing bears again, or making trips to the widow's place. He must've said _something_ to Sam, too, because the boys hadn't caught sight of the little bastard even once.

Michael leaned against his bike, arms crossed, grateful they'd finally managed to find a drifter with just the right set of wheels. Not that any of it mattered to him, as long as he had something he could use to keep up with the rest of the boys. But they kept arguing about it, each time they'd get their hands on a biker driving through Santa Carla, or a middle-aged bastard trying to recapture the good old days before having a wife and kids. David would point out a scratch, or insist the model was 'bad luck', they all seemed to have an endless surfeit of reasons for why exactly he needed to hold out a little longer for a nicer ride. Honestly, sometimes he swore it was some kind of massive joke just so he'd keep riding bitch with David, and David _always_ made him ride with him. But hey, he finally had one of his own. That was good enough for Michael...and she was gorgeous...the wait had almost been worth it.

David glanced at him, grinning, " _She's perfect, don't you think? Glad you waited?"_

Rolling his eyes, Michael snorted, " _never riding bitch again, that's the best part."_

" _Thought you looked pretty comfortable sitting there like a little trophy for Davey to show off,"_ Paul cackled, immediately drawing an angry glare from the brunette.

" _Fuck you, Paul,"_ he replied, looking back across the boardwalk at the boisterous crowd.

David shook his head, " _You do know that if I want you to ride bitch, you're going to, right?"_ He glanced at a somewhat flustered Michael before turning his gaze to Paul, " _Maybe you should ride bitch with Marko for a week."_

" _Oh, come on!"_ Marko threw up his arms, " _why are you dragging me into this?!"_

" _Because you're so cute when you're angry,"_ Dwayne joined in, sarcastically.

They were all in a good mood tonight. Fall and winter crowds tended to be pretty slim. Nobody took their vacation to the beach when the sand was icy, and there wasn't much point for tourists when all the bikini bunnies started piling on the sweaters. But it was almost Christmas break...the first chance for a big meal in four months. They were hungry too, big meals lasted them a lot longer and they prefered them to smaller ones. They were more fun for one and second, well, it gave them more time to have their _other_ fun.

David took in the boardwalk, there were finally people, finally visitors, finally food, and it made him practically giddy at the thought of so many meals in one place. This special time of year never got old. Ironically, it was also a little bit more dangerous for them, too. Lots more people remembered they were religious enough to wear crosses when presents were shoved under colored foil pine trees in their living rooms. But there was a bit of fun in that danger, too.

Michael looked up at a girl buying a large pretzel from a vendor, tenderly picking at the bread with polished nails and smiling cheerfully towards her friends as they headed towards the carousel. " _I think I've got my meal picked out,"_ he decided, pushing away from his bike.

David followed his gaze, eyes narrowing slightly. He wasn't sure if he liked that. Michael was always following a pretty face. Some things died hard and David wasn't sure how he could get this particular thing to die.

Paul and Marko nudged Dwayne together, grinning as a trio of drunks stumbled by them, one nearly colliding into one of their bikes before the other two pulled him away just in time. They were headed towards the beach.

" _You gonna come with us, or you want to catch a bigger fish, Davey?_ " Marko asked, watching as Michael shuffled off after the girl he'd been eyeing.

" _I'll find my own, no worries."_ He stated, still watching Michael. He'd already managed to catch up with the girls and her friends, and it looked like they didn't mind having him along.

David kept his distance as he made his way through the crowds, always keeping Michael in sight. The further they walked, the closer he got to the girl, until they'd reached the carousel and she was passing her half-eaten pretzel off to one of her friends while she licked the oil from her fingers, and Michael stepped up onto the right to take her other hand in his and pulled her up alongside him with an almost innocent-looking smile. David's eyes narrowed, sliding through the shadows like he belonged there. He was going to have to show Michael who he belonged to. He felt possessive of all the boys, it came from being their leader, but sometimes...sometimes he felt a little _more_. When it came to his youngest, anyway. The only one of the boys who'd been turned with _his_ blood.

"I like your hair...that natural?" Michael leaned in close to the girl, pulling her down to the carousel bench and eyeing her up and down. She giggled, reaching up to pat at her bright red perm.

"No. Nobody's born with hair like this," she replied, sidling up a little closer to him. Their back and forth conversation they had about pointless shit, and cosmetics, and schools, road trips, tanning salons...it was almost sickening.

David wanted to move forward, wanted to rip her throat out, but he waited. Watching Michael hunt always impressed him on some level. He was a natural, David always knew he would be but this just reaffirmed what he already knew. Now, if Michael would just eat her and be done with it, he'd be happy.

"You cold?" Michael asked, slipping off his jacket and sliding it up over her shoulders without waiting for a response. She looked back at him, dazzled.

"I just love the movie Grease, don't you?" The girl replied, reaching to lift the jacket up a little higher with a private smile. Taking the bait. Soon Michael had tucked himself underneath the jacket with her, covering her throat so no one would see. They just looked like two amorous teenagers with a poorly-chosen make-out spot. Then the jacket slipped, and as it turned out, Michael had decided he wasn't quite ready to eat yet. They actually _were_ making out. David growled, snarling low in his throat, eyes burning with jealousy. Oh, he was going to have to do something drastic to get his point across, wasn't he? He kept still, however, would wait for Michael to feed before he acted.

When the ride drew to a slow stop, Michael pulled the girl away with him, grinning as she stared at him with wide eyes and bruised lips, holding his jacket tightly to her chest as he led her off of the carousel, away from her friends, down the boardwalk...and out to the beach. He was practically on a fucking _date_ at this point.

Of course David had no choice but to follow. Oh, Michael was in for it now, after he fed...things were going to have to be made clear to him. They were settling down on the sand now, Michael tucking his jacket beneath the girl, drawing her into his arms as she went on...and on...and on about 'Summer Lovin'. Apparently he'd just met the world's biggest Olivia Newton John fanatic.

"Feeling alright?" He asked her quietly, kissing her neck. She giggled again, kept on giggling, even as Michael glanced up to lock eyes with David's, smirking. " _Having fun?"_ He asked David with a mental snicker as he bit into the girl's throat, drawing a hand up to immediately smother her screams.

If looks could kill the girl would be long dead, well, at least Michael had finally gotten with the program, " _Not really."_ He growled lowly in return. Michael rolled his eyes in response.

" _If you wanted some, you could've grabbed one of her friends,"_ Michael replied, pulling the girl closer to his chest to restrain her as he kept drinking, growling deep in his throat. " _Got a stick up your ass tonight, or something?"_

" _I didn't want one of_ them." He stated, " _What I want, is you."_ He walked forward, stopping in front of him, looking down. Might as well be blunt and go all out. Michael's victim had stopped struggling now, though she was still alive. She was fading fast. He drew back from her throat, tearing jagged holes in the skin as he stared up at David, more than a little surprised.

" _Uh...run that by me again?"_ Michael licked at his lips, drawing a hand up to wipe at the blood dripping down his chin.

" _I think I was pretty straight forward. I want you. It's cut and dry. I want to pin you down and take you, I want to fuck you right here, right now, I want to take your blood and you take mine in return."_ He chuckled softly, " _Blunt enough for you?"_

Michael looked back down at the girl in his arms, and then up at David, bewildered. All of the confidence of his flirtatious hunt, the amusement when he noticed the blonde following him...quickly disappeared. " _That's...a lot to take in…"_ he floundered, really not sure what to think. Oddly enough, the idea didn't sound too bad. It wasn't like they didn't clean each other after hunts, sleep on the same perch, even occasionally butt into each other's thoughts when they weren't invited, by human standards everything about being pack was pretty damn intimate (if not a little strange.) He'd had the time to adjust to what he was, to what they were, now. That didn't mean he still couldn't be surprised, with David making an advance like that out of the blue. Plus, girls had kind of always been the only partners Michael had on the radar before he turned; he'd never considered the idea that had possibly changed.

With nothing else to really add, Michael bit back into the girl's throat, taking a few final gulps before she finally expired, then pushed her to the side and drew up one of his legs so he could prop his arm up over a knee, giving David a sardonic half-smile, " _you say that to all the boys?_ "

" _Just you."_ He chuckled softly, drawing closer, " _Something special about you, I don't wanna share."_

Michael frowned slightly, " _I don't know if I like the idea of being 'taken'. I'm not a chick. I don't wanna be pinned."_ He wasn't generally defiant, but Michael didn't much like the concept of being on the receiving end, and that definitely seemed to be David's plan. He yanked his jacket up from the sand and climbed to his feet, dusting off his jeans, " _sorry, David. Not happening,"_ he informed him, blunt in his own way as he began to walk off. Turning his back was a bad idea, verging on dumb.

David shook his head, " _Oh, Michael…"_ He made a tsking noise before tackling him to the ground, pinning him through years of practice, keeping him firmly on the ground, pressing along his back. Michael grunted in surprise, digging his hands into the sand and fruitlessly trying to buck David off.

"You stubborn asshole!" Michael shouted out loud, his voice immediately carried away on a gust of cold wind, then drowned out by the crashing waves.

David sank his teeth into the back of his neck, " _Yeah, that's me, surprised you just figured it out."_ Michael howled in response, jerking his head to the side, the pain of his flesh being torn immediately laced with a jolt of pleasure at the same time. The pack leader's hands didn't stay in one place either, they slid down his chest, stroked over his skin, " _Just let yourself go."_

Michael growled, an arm reaching up behind his shoulder to grasp at David's neck, holding him there, urging him to keep drinking, " _fuck, that's easy for you to say,"_ he retorted, though the fight was quickly leaving him.

He drank slowly, drawing it out, " _Want me to keep going? Want to take the plunge?"_

Given their position, Michael couldn't really nod or shake his head in response, so instead he went with a reluctant purr of consent. Who was he kidding? He was pretty much hard the second David bit into him. David pulled back slowly, lapping over the wounds, his fingers stripping him carefully, feeling each bit of skin as it was revealed. A low purr sounded in reply to Michael's. David couldn't get enough of his skin, the feel of it, the taste of it. It was better than just cleaning each other, this was raw, untainted Michael. He hadn't seen the boy like this since the night he caught a glimpse of him when he and the boys were diving through the cave to rest, and he was locked in Star's embrace. That much more reason to resent even the memory of the bitch.

Michael shifted beneath him, slowly moving until he had his back pressed against the sand, pulling David's face down to meet his own, driving his tongue into his maker's mouth, sharing the taste of his meal, and his own blood, plucking at David's coat collar and moving to shove it down from his shoulders. He growled in pleasure, lapping back, sucking and nipping at his tongue. He let Michael divest him of his clothes, helping shed the fabric until they were both naked. David rolled his hips down against his, nipping and sucking at his lips, growling into it.

Michael writhed beneath him, eyes jolting open wider as he gasped into David's mouth, rocking back up against him in turn, trailing his mouth across the blonde's chin and jawline until he finally got to his neck, drawing back and driving his own fangs into that pale throat. David growled in pleasure, reaching down and wrapping a hand around both of their lengths, stroking them both slowly.

" _Mmm, that's good Michael. Catch on quick."_

Growling softly in reply, Michael dug his fangs deeper, struggling to drink as slowly as possible, thankfully sated enough from his meal only minutes ago to be able to savor the taste. " _Fuck, man,"_ he gasped, pulling back and dragging his tongue slowly across the wound he'd made, thrusting up into David's hand. David sank his fangs into his shoulder in return, letting out a quiet growl, stroking faster.

" _Next time, I'm going to sink into you, take you, make you feel so good, but for now, this will have to do."_ He gave a firm twist of his wrist. Michael groaned, digging his claws into David's back as he came, streaks of blood dripping from his fingers into the sand beneath them. David followed him over the edge, his fingers clenching around them, milking them out.

" _Not...not compromising on that one...are you?"_ Michael asked, letting his head fall back as he panted, relaxing in David's arms.

He shook his head, nuzzling, laying over him, licking the wound softly, " _Yeah, not compromising on it."_ In turn, Michael drew back a hand, licking David's blood from his claws, purring.

" _Your timing is terrible. Gonna be shaking sand off my crotch for weeks,"_ Michael remarked, glancing at the mark he'd made on David's neck. It had stopped bleeding, but it didn't look like the puckered skin was going to be remotely flawless once he was healed. He didn't doubt his own neck was identical now.

" _Nah, you just picked the wrong time to turn your back on me."_ He nipped his ear, " _Should go see about taking a bath…"_

" _Pretty sure high tide happened a couple of hours ago,"_ Michael yawned. " _Should be a standing pool somewhere around here…unless you wanna go knock off someone in one of those RVs out at the camp grounds?"_

David grinned, looking in that direction, " _Yeah, let's go take someone out, I want a hot bath."_

Michael couldn't help but give the blonde a dubious expression once he'd managed to wriggle into his pants and zip them up, " _you gonna get pissy like that whenever I pick up a hot meal, now?"_

" _Only if you make out with them in front of me."_ He replied, pulling his own pants on.


	7. Lab Partners

Lucy nervously paced the kitchen, rubbing her arms as if she'd never be warm again. Three days until Christmas break, and she'd made a very unpleasant discovery. Sam would be home soon, and she wasn't exactly sure how to address this without having him shut her out. Since they'd lost Michael, that was all he seemed to do. He kept to himself, didn't bring home any friends. Whenever she asked about those odd boys who'd helped save the family, he clammed up. The fight they'd had must have been a bad one, she thought.

Dad was quiet too, these days. The doctors wanted him to take it easy, to relax. She had no idea how long he had to go, but the way he'd been mindlessly shuffling around the house these days...he was worse than when mom had died. Lucy was losing her family. She never thought she'd be the last one left, the foundation struggling to hold them all together.

But now, on top of his strange behavior, when Lucy was truly worried she'd never have her youngest back as the happy boy he used to be, she had... _this_ to deal with. "Sam," she sighed, pressing her hand to her chest and sobbing. "What am I going to do with you?" She looked towards the kitchen drawer where she'd hidden the nasty little thing she'd found in her son's dresser. There was no telling what else he had hidden away in the rest of his room. She hadn't gotten down to ransacking it yet. First, she wanted to have a sit-down.

The moment Sam stepped inside she was on him, demanding he take a seat at the table and drink the tea she'd made for him, whether he wanted to or not. He sat down, the look on his face was one of confusion.

"Sam, I want you to be honest with me...at night, I know you're not sleeping. I hear you pacing all the time. Nanook is a nervous mess, just being around you."

He gnawed on his lip, "Okay?"

"Drink your tea," she insisted, standing at the counter, leaning against it while she kept her hand hovering over the drawer she'd put it in.

He took a slow drink of his tea, watching her, "Mom, what's wrong?"

"I've noticed your grades...you used to be a straight A student. You don't have any _friends,_ sweetheart. It's not like you. Now, I know you're taking...you're taking Michael's death pretty hard. We all are. But, Sam, honey...do you think your brother would want to see you like this? Throwing your life away?"

He looked down at his tea, "Mom...They're still alive…" He mumbled softly.

Lucy frowned, pulling open the drawer slowly, "no, Sam. They're not." Slowly she pulled out the stake and tossed it onto the kitchen table with a loud clatter, "you need to stop this obsession. _Now._ Before you get yourself hurt. Understood?

"They are!" He couldn't tell her about Star, about Edgar's bandana but...she didn't believe him.

"Even if they are, it's not going to bring Michael back!" Lucy cried out, striding forward and placing her hands on the table, "stop it, Sam. Forget them. Move on. You are fourteen years old! You're too young to throw your life away like this. I want you to stop. Before you get yourself hurt, and before you take this too far."

He stared at his cup. He knew she was right, he just didn't want to admit it, "Alright." His voice came out in a whisper. It hurt to lie to her like that, but Sam didn't want to lose her. They were alive. They were coming after them...he was going to make sure he was ready. No matter how long they waited to make their move. For Star. For Ed and Alan. For _Mike._ At the same time he would keep up appearances, for mom. Thank god she didn't look in his closet, though. He didn't know how he'd explain the other thirty stakes, or the jugs of holy water he'd accumulated from local churches, the crosses fashioned from broken pencils, and the cachet of rosaries he'd scavenged from good-natured priests. When the time came, he would be ready, for now, the biggest monster he had to face was Mr. Shelton from homeroom.

* * *

Denise sat down beside the weird kid, smiling at him weakly. "Lab partners?" She asked, looking about at the rest of their biology class. Everyone else had paired up. So here she was, stuck with the guy who looked like he never slept, and was always looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to jump him at any moment. A shame, too...cause he looked like he _could_ be normal...if you got past the flamboyant clothes.

"I'm Denise" she added, holding out her hand. "I'll be cutting up your frog with you today," she joked lamely as she used her free hand to shove her glasses up her freckled nose.

He gave her a small smile, "Sam, Sam Emerson, nice to meet you."

"So, what's with all the flinching? You take meds or something?" She asked, biting her lip as she glanced back towards the front of the glass while their teacher began to scrawl notes on the chalkboard, diagramming small points they were expected to cut.

He shook his head, "No, my brother...he died recently and I'm just...sad." He finished lamely, he was paranoid is what he was and he knew it.

"Oh…" She cringed, looking away. "You wanna pin the skin, or you wanna cut?" She picked up the blade and held it up.

"I'll cut." He took the blade from her, "Don't feel like sticking pins through anything." Except vampires.

"...Alright, that's good. You can cut," she nodded, drawing back her hand in surprise. He'd grabbed the knife a little faster than she'd have expected. "So, was he sick?"

He shook his head, "No, I dunno exactly what happened. There was an accident…"

"Y'know, it's crazy how many accidents happen around Santa Carla," she said, trying to make conversation while he slit the frog's stomach and gently peeled the flaps of skin back, yanking at one section that hadn't been cut deep enough. The formaldehyde smell was awful.

"It was on the news, the...accident...with the semi." He said softly.

"Oh, man!" She exclaimed, looking about when she realized she might have said it a little too loudly. "Sorry... _wow_...yeah, I'd be pretty upset if that happened to my sister," she said, digging a pin into one of the corners of a skin flap. "Course she never listens to anyone, either. Have to keep an eye on her when mom wants to go shopping on the boardwalk. Don't know why she likes those after dark discounts so much…" Denise just shook her head, "tries to run off and talk to bad boys all the time, y'know?"

He let out a bitter laugh, "Yeah, I know, my brother used to hang out with those bikers. I'm sure they got him killed."

She fumbled and slipped, stabbing one of her fingers with the next pin, before drawing back and squeaking, " _which ones?!_ The ones who hang out at night?" She examined her finger, rubbing at the sore spot, not making eye contact with Sam.

He nodded, "Be careful, I wouldn't want to get any of this gross stuff in a wound, should get it cleaned up if you broke the skin." He looked concerned.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a bandaid, smiling slightly at the weird look he gave her, "I'm clumsy. Always gotta be prepared." Then she glanced back down at the frog, "there were some guys around here I used to know, always talking about those bikers. Actually, everyone talks about them. You said your brother was like...hanging out with them...and he did it more than _once_?"

He nodded, "Yeah, a lot more than once."

She gnawed at her bottom lip, a dumb thought crossing her mind, but she wasn't really sure if she should say it. "What…" Denise looked back at him, "what did your brother look like?" She paused. "You don't have to answer that, it's dumb. Let's just work on stabbing the frogs."

"Jim Morrison, Michael looked kind of like Jim Morrison." He laughed softly.

 _Holy crap!_ No...no, the news had said the guy was clearly dead. Didn't look too pretty, either, if you read between the lines. But...gosh, the coincidence would be pretty weird. She wasn't sure if she should even say anything, honestly. "You ever go to the boardwalk? Concerts? Late night ferris wheel rides?"

"Not any more, I spend most of my time at home. It's...easier...that way." He scowled slightly, "Why? What's up?"

Denise thought for a moment about the new guy she'd seen with the Lost Boys. He _did_ look a lot like Jim Morrison. But she wasn't so sure she'd want to find out her sister had become part of a local urban legend or faked her own death, possibly killed someone in the process...this guy didn't seem like he'd be able to take any kind of news like that too well. "Well, I mean, you don't seem like a local. Just curious if you'd checked out all the sights…" She paused, "me and a couple of friends like to do pizza study parties on the weekends, you wanna hang out with us some time?"

He smiled, "Yeah, I'd like that." Maybe he could start over, maybe things would get better.

"Alright!" She chirped, digging into her book back and yanking out a piece of paper and pen to scrawl her number down for him, "just call me tonight or whenever you're free. I lost my uncle last year, too...so if you need anyone to talk to, y'know...I'll be there."

He took her number, his smile growing a bit, "Thanks, Denise. I will."


	8. Christmas Eve

Paul sat on the edge of the fountain, flipping through radio stations while he drummed clawed fingers over his lap, humming cheerfully, getting louder with the passing second just to irritate Dwayne. He was doing a good job of it, too. Dwayne looked about ready to rip into him with his claws, he was growling softly at the humming. He only got louder in response, cracking a grin and daring Dwayne to do something about it.

Marko leaned over the side of the couch, kicking his legs into the air and watching them both, eyes flicking back and forth while he waited for someone to make a move. Michael was right by him, getting irritated more by the station flipping than the actual humming, but not enough to do anything about it.

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Dwayne growled lowly. Paul nodded, looking away innocently. For a moment, the humming stopped...and then he began to whistle, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Paul demanded, feigning offense, "it's not my fault there's nothing good on the radio!" He snapped, beginning to whistle even louder. When Dwayne looked like he was about ready to make a move, Paul jumped up and dived behind David's wheelchair.

David growled at him, "Don't you dare hide behind me." He grabbed the blonde by the arm and spun him around, tossing him at Dwayne.

"Aw, c'mon, man!" Paul shouted, stumbling into his chest and drawing back, holding his hands up in front of him defensively, "just messing around, huh? No more whistling and humming, I promise!"

Dwayne glared at him, "Fine, stop being a dick."

Marko looked disappointed, but remained silent as he climbed over the side of the couch and stepped on Michael's crotch in the process of maneuvering onto the other side.

"Fuck, Marko!" Michael gave him a shove, lowering his head and leaning forward, grunting in pain. "You're like a giant asshole cat," he said between gritted teeth. Marko was unapologetic as he claimed Dwayne's abandoned spot on the couch.

David growled lowly, "Hey, watch where you're stepping." He didn't want Michael's family jewels ruined.

"My bad," Marko shrugged, glancing over at Paul as he flopped back down on the fountain to flip through stations again, and then back up at Dwayne as the taller vampire came to reclaim his spot. "Go sit somewhere else, it's mine now."

Dwayne growled down at him, "I'll fight you for it."

Marko sighed, "fine…" then he made a move to climb over Michael again, but the younger vampire was ready this time. He punched Marko in the shin and sent him tumbling onto the ground. "Shit!" Marko yelped, scrambling up into a sitting position and rubbing at his sore leg. "Jerk…"

David chuckled, "Well, that should teach you what happens when you step on someone's nuts."

Paul began to click his tongue. Dwayne growled, "What did I tell you about being annoying?"

"I'm not doing anything!" Paul insisted, "you're moody tonight, Dwayne. You need to chill out." He'd forgotten about the radio now, in favor of drumming on his legs. That was the final straw, he barely had time to react when Dwayne launched himself forward and knocked him off of the fountain.

"Score…" Marko whispered with a grin, crawling back towards the couch and running his hand along the back of the cushion beside Michael, "fucker's been keeping the last of the weed hidden," he explained as he snatched up a small leather pouch with Dwayne's name written on it.

David shook his head, sighing, "This is what I have to deal with, sometimes you're more trouble than you're worth." He rolled his eyes, "All of you, not just Paul."

" _What was the other guy like?"_ Michael glanced over at David, whispering quietly in his mind. The question had been building up, he just never really saw the right opportunity to ask until today.

He glanced over at Michael, " _He was Max's choice. He'd recently made his first kill. Impulsive, difficult to deal with most of the time. He thought he was better than the rest of us, Max's_ favorite _."_ He rested his cheek on his fist, " _In some ways maybe it was a boon for dear old grandpa to off him. Then again, maybe we could have fixed him, made him a proper part of the pack. We'll never really know though."_

Paul had managed to get away from Dwayne, and was ducking behind the couch now, cackling while Marko tucked the pouch into his underwear.

" _Did Max pick the other two? Star and Laddie?"_ Michael asked curiously, drawing his legs up onto the couch and reclining while the rest of the trio ran about. Marko had joined in on the fight.

" _Yeah, Max thought we needed a sister, a little brother, and a mother. He lost his mind, started acting like we could be human."_ David let out a snort, kicking Marko away from him when he got too close, " _You saw how well that ended."_

" _You sure went through a lot of trouble to get me, though,_ " Michael snorted. " _Didn't catch some of Max's crazy too, did you?"_

David laughed softly, " _Nah, I just knew what I wanted. I wasn't trying to make us human, pretend that we're something other than we are. We are predators, hunters, killers,"_ he shrugged slightly, " _and that's what we will always be."_

" _Where does the other part go? The part of us that wasn't? The human part?"_ It wasn't really Michael's habit of getting deeply philosophical. In fact, usually he preferred not to. But he _was_ curious.

" _Honestly? I don't know. It just goes away, never comes back. If there's an afterlife, maybe that's where it heads. Humanity is overrated anyway."_ He had never thought about what happened to his humanity, never crossed his mind, but Michael did make a good point, " _Who knows, maybe we're demons or some shit."_

Dwayne stood up behind the couch. Paul and Marko soon followed. All three of them looked roughed up, but there'd been no clear winner. " _Some people think a body has a soul and a spirit. It's not the same thing. Maybe one leaves and the other stays behind,"_ Dwayne remarked casually, shoving a hand into Marko's face and grabbing the leather pouch.

" _I think it's cause sexy witches with big tits put a curse on a couple of dudes at some point, y'know?"_ Paul grinned, " _think I saw a porn like that once, anyway."_

" _Or, perhaps, it's some kind of virus, a disease."_ David paused, " _If it is, I like it."_ He grinned at the boys.

Michael leaned forward, looking at David intently, " _what would happen if we got split up? I mean, not killed...but separated. For awhile."_

He didn't like that thought, didn't like how it made him feel, " _I would do whatever it took to get you back, kill anyone in my way."_ He narrowed his eyes, " _Mass slaughter."_

Marko sauntered over to David and dabbed at a non-existent tear on his cheek, "awwww, Davey. I had no idea you cared!"

David rolled his eyes before punching him in the arm, " _Yeah, maybe not about you though, maybe I'll let you rot wherever you are."_

Standing up, Michael stretched his arms above his head, "and on that note, I think I'm going to turn in. Christmas tomorrow...don't want to sleep too late," he remarked dryly, trailing out of the lobby.

David followed after him, maybe they could have a little fun before sleep, maybe he could celebrate Christmas early.

* * *

Red ribbons. Green ones. Tubes of silver foil wrapping paper, some with yellow, some with orange. Once Lucy had finished tying the last bow on Sam's last gift, a very startling thought struck her. Usually there wasn't this much left over...and it wasn't quite this quick. She pulled her chair back and picked the small package up in her arms, carrying it towards the living room. There would have been another tube used, maybe seven or eight more bows tied, her bank account would have been a little lighter…

But with only one son to share Christmas with, all of that had changed. She hoped he didn't notice the smudged writing on the gift tag in the morning, as she wiped at the tear that fell on it while she knelt beside the tree to tuck the package neatly beside the others.

"Mom?" Sam stepped into the room, coming up behind her and wrapping her in a hug, "Let me help, okay?" She placed a hand on one of his arms and looked up at him with a weak smile.

"All the gifts are done, sweety." She sighed, patting that same arm as she gazed up at the tree. "You can help me make cookies, though. I guess we'll go without the peanut butter ones this year..."

He shook his head, "Nah, we'll make 'em too!" He kissed her cheek, "Come on, let's put some music on."

She laughed, "did you grow up when I wasn't looking?"

He smiled, "Yep, that's how it happened, you looked away for a bit and bam! Grown up Sam."

It wasn't the happiest Christmas Eve they'd ever had. But they made it work. They put the extra plate of peanut butter cookies on the kitchen counter that night, and lit a candle beside it. Somehow, it helped. If only a little. Grandpa even showed up at one point after they'd gone to bed to put his last root beer by the candle.


	9. Moving On

Author's notes: Me and Kage had started this story with a concept in mind, but once we got to this point we weren't sure if we wanted to go in that direction anymore. We decided not to, and to instead go a different route later. So here we are. Currently working on a non-Lost Boys project right now together, but we may come back to this story soon. Both agreed this was a good place to put it on hold. Also, can you believe I've been straight-up committing to writing these stories since like...November/December? That's insane, isn't it? Hope you don't mind if I take a quick break, just to rest my brain a bit.

* * *

Once Michael had reached their sleeping area, he realized he wasn't actually that tired. They still had a couple of hours left before dawn, too. He spun about just in time to bump into David, "christ!" He exclaimed in surprise, jumping back.

"What? Didn't expect me to follow you? You should know better by now."

"Yeah, turning my back on you...should've learned my lesson last time," Michael snorted, taking a few more steps back and narrowing his eyes. Fooling around had been fun, but he still wasn't too hot on the idea of being 'taken'. That was clearly the only way David was going to want it, too, judging by the look he was giving him right now.

David stepped forward, "Come on, think of it as a Christmas present, from me to you." He chuckled, running his fingers over his coat, "Trust me, you'll like it."

"You are…" Michael shook his head at a loss for words, "so full of it."

David frowned, pushing his coat off, "No, but you're about to be." He lunged forward, pressing their lips together in a harsh kiss. If Michael had been remotely tired before, that certainly snapped him out of it. They stumbled back against the wall together, while the younger vampire growled against David's mouth, grabbing his shoulders and spinning about until he was the one pressed against the hard rock.

David chuckled softly, pushing Michael's shirt up and off, his fingers brushing over his skin. Letting him pin him for the moment. Michael drug his own hands underneath David's shirt, slowly pushing the fabric up and lowering his head to bite and nip at his skin. The blonde's fingers slid into his hair, brushing through it as he groaned, pushing lightly to get him to go lower.

Michael plucked at David's zipper, quickly unbuttoning and peeling the upper portion of his pants down, giving his member a thoughtful glance-over, before looking back up at David, "why don't you wear underwear?"

He grinned in reply, "Easy access." He rubbed his scalp gently, his length giving an interested twitch. Michael ran his fingers along it, barely a brush, teasing as he pondered how best to go about this. Plus, he had to admit, it was kind of funny to keep David in anticipation. The guy was way too impatient.

David stood stoically, watching him intently, curious what he was going to do.

Michael lowered his hand, "you're sure you don't want to wait until Christmas?"

He chuckled softly, "Mmm, isn't it a tradition to open one present on Christmas Eve? How about a blow job and we'll save the best for tomorrow."

"I don't know...I'm getting pretty tired…" Michael faked a yawn, pretending to reach back to zip up David's pants.

He growled softly, fingers tightening in his hair, "Oh? You sure about that?" He reached down and gave himself a firm stroke, "Then you can take a nap right there while I finish up."

"Okay, wait, hold on, jeeze…" Michael rolled his eyes, lowering his hand. "Now you're just being bitchy," he retorted, leaning forward and letting his tongue dart out to lick at David's head, while he reached back up to slap the blonde's hand away impatiently.

David grinned, "You said you were tired, I want to watch you when I come." He ran his fingers down his cheek, "Win-win."

Michael bit back a retort, grasping at David's shaft, maybe just a tiny bit tighter than he needed to, while he slowly pressed his lips to the head. He hadn't done this before, his eyes tipped up to looked at him as he swallowed him in. David's fingers tightened in his hair as he took in a hiss of air. It was sinfully sweet. He let the younger vampire move at his own pace, loving the feel of his tongue as it pressed against him.

"Damn, Michael, shit." He groaned, tipping his head back.

It didn't take long for David's hips to give a small jerk forward, god, he was so close already. A litany of curses escaped his lips as he finally spilled himself down Michael's throat. His fingers petted and smoothed through his hair. Michael coughed slightly, pulling back and cringing, taken a little by surprise. But he wasn't choking, so that was good.

"Damn." He looked down at him, "Time for me to repay the favor."

He pulled the brunette up, spinning him against the wall, reaching down to pull his pants and underwear down. He dropped to his knees and swallowed him in one smooth motion. His only goal was to make Michael come as hard as he could.

"Fuck! David!" Michael gasped, digging his hands into the blonde's hair, his shout a combination of surprise followed closely by sheer ecstasy.

David swallowed him down, rubbing his hips in soothing circles, causing him to jerk forward almost immediately. David just swallowed thickly, working his throat around him, urging him to come. Michael groaned, closing his eyes as David worked him, thrusting his hips forward again. It wasn't long at all before he reached his own climax, giving one final jerk into David's mouth. He slowly licked him clean before pulling back, grinning up at him.

"Merry Christmas, Michael."

"Dude, I already know I'm going to hell 10 times over…" Michael sighed, "but please...don't ever say that again," he shook his head with a laugh, releasing David's hair and slowly reaching down to pull his clothes back up.

He laughed in reply, redressing himself, "Fine, fine." He rolled his eyes, leaning forward and giving him a peck on the cheek before heading into their sleeping area.

Michael knelt down to scoop up his shirt, and that's when he noticed them out of the corner of his eye.

"Ten bucks," Dwayne told Marko, holding out his hand.

"Assholes…" Michael grumbled, following David as he yanked his shirt back on over his head.

* * *

By the time Spring rolled around, grandpa Emerson looked better than he had since his trip to the hospital. Except for one small thing. He still didn't make his nightly visits to the widow's house. But seeing that Sam had finally begun to make friends put him in a much better mood. Honestly, back in December, he'd begun to worry he was going to have to tell Lucy to leave Santa Carla. If his grandson really couldn't leave well enough alone, they'd be much safer somewhere he couldn't go out of his way to try and get his neck broken.

"Proud of you, boy," he grunted as he stood in Sam's doorway while the kid rushed about packing a bag for the beach. Lucy had finally begun to ease up on some of her restrictions about leaving the house. Daylight was fair game for him now, as long as he was back before five.

Sam cocked his head to the side, "Thanks?" He paused, "Why?"

"Cause you remembered you was still alive," he replied, taking a gulp of root beer, before shuffling off in his house slippers and bathrobe.

Sam blinked and shrugged, finishing packing his bag before running off. He was going to stay the night at Dan's place, but mom didn't have to know Denise was planning a late night cook-out for them on the beach. He wasn't stupid, though. He still remembered to tuck a stake and cross in his bag...just in case, but tonight was a night for fun!

* * *

Michael gazed across the early evening Spring crowd in frustration. David's little rule about playing with his food was beginning to get on his nerves. Not to mention, the son of a bitch had decided back on Christmas that if Michael wasn't going to take it, he wasn't going to get any either. No fooling around. No making out with a girl or two on the boardwalk. Nothing. Frankly, it was beginning to piss him off. To the point that they weren't on speaking terms tonight.

David flicked his cigarette out onto the sand. He was pissed at Michael but he felt a little better knowing that Michael was feeling the same. Being pent up for a while would all be worth it when Michael finally gave in because he would give in...eventually. Still, he didn't miss the look the younger vampire gave to a pair of bikini bunnies skating by them, not that he would do anything, the consequences would be harsh and besides, pack kept to the rules.

" _Little chilly lately, isn't it?"_ Marko whistled, glancing between the two as he tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and skipped off after the two girls in question. Dwayne quickly followed him, leaving Paul behind to chill out on his bike and pick at his nails with a switchblade.

David pulled out another cigarette, lighting it with a huff.

" _So…_ " Michael finally broke the silence, " _when you say no 'playing with my food', does that mean everything? Like...what does it entail, completely?_ " He just wasn't going to let this go.

" _I play with my food all the time,_ " Paul told him, smirking. " _Makes it taste better._ "

" _Does that mean I can-_ " Michael began, cut off by a quick sharp look from David. He scowled, turning away and continuing to watch the crowd with an irritated grumble. He caught sight of a tiny freckled girl with glasses eyeing him, before she immediately turned away and rushed off toting a beach bag behind her. Curious, he broke away from the other two and began to trail after the girl.

David glared at Paul, "Now look what you did." He followed after Michael, grumbling under his breath. They ended up trailing down the beach, the girl leading the way while Michael remained at a safe distance. She was heading towards a small party. No bonfire, and not too far from the boardwalk that they wouldn't be seen. They wouldn't be an easy meal but maybe they could terrorize the group a little bit.

"Denise!" A familiar voice shouted from the group, waving his arm, "it's about time! You brought the buns?"

Michael drew to a stop in surprise, tucking his hands in his jacket pockets as his eyes followed the girl to the group. " _Well...look who it is…"_ he glanced back at David. He'd gotten used to being followed.

David's lips curled into a half smirk, " _If it isn't little Sammy, looks like he's got some new friends."_ He came to a stop beside him, " _He still doesn't know you're alive, doubt gramps told him. Wanna surprise him?"_

For a moment, he was thoughtful. On the one hand, it would be hilarious to see his old brother's reaction, whether he'd be freaked out of his mind, or maybe even worse. Any lingering sentiments he'd had for the humans he used to see as family had pretty much died with him, so there was no question of any guilt or feelings if they ran into each other. But...Sam had been pretty determined to save him, and he'd caught on pretty quick that the boys weren't gone. If Michael had listened to him, who knows? He might still be human today, even if he didn't really care to be. Something told him announcing his presence would start something, though he wasn't exactly sure what. Sam might even be clever enough to find their new sleeping spot...and by now, he'd probably even be able to narrow it down to who the new head vampire was.

Michael eyed the group together as the girl joined them, then he looked back at David. As infuriating as he could be, as stubborn, uncompromising, and smug...taking the chance that his pack leader might wake up tomorrow night or some time in a week, or even a year...with a stake in his chest?

" _Nah, just gonna be a headache later,"_ Michael shook his head. " _Not worth the trouble later if he gets any stupid ideas."_

David nodded, " _Alright, better head back then, before we get his attention."_ He turned, nudging his shoulder, before walking away, expecting him to follow.

Michael lingered behind for just a moment. It really was strange to see someone he used to care about so much, and feel...nothing. He'd had the same thoughts when he saw the old man back in the hospital when he was still transitioning. He wondered again where his humanity had gone, then shrugged it away and turned to catch up with David. It didn't really matter anymore. He had his pack.

He didn't notice the group turning towards them, catching the sight of movement in the dark. Sam was the first to see him, but Michael was already too far away to hear his name being shouted. For a moment, Sam continued to call out to him, until Denise put a hand on his shoulder.

"There's no one there," she told him firmly. He jerked back, almost looking through her...before he bit his lip and nodded.

"Yeah…guess it's just the night playing tricks on me..."


End file.
